Ben Simmons

I was wondering Aran, how you would compare him with Wiggins and Parker?

 if he could go to a good division 1 school i think he could be the next kyrie or andrew bogut as the next aussie player in the nba but thats still a good 3-4 yrs till it happens

Word has it that 1 of Pitt coach Jamie Dixon’s assistants,saw him play in Australia and really loved his potential..His dad is wanted to help get him exposure and brought him to play in some summer tournaments in the US…His dad is from the US,and a former pro player in Australia…Ben’s a dual citizen and could easily transfer to an american school,which is something i think they’ll do next year….He’s 6’8 and plays power forward on his high school,but has the skills of a guard..He kind of looks like Austin Rivers a little..

16 and 6’8,means there’s a chance he’ll grow a few more inches,maybe by the time he’s 18,he’ll be 6’10….Ben’s a smart kid and seems to really have a great understanding of the game…Attacks the basket like he heard it insult his momma..Good passer,decent ball handler..But i’ve seen 1000s of kids like Ben Simmons that impresses in tournaments,then return to high school and flameout..

But i really like his upside….

 As an Australian, I’ve been sort of keeping tabs on him, and I wish him all the success in the world, but I saw game footage of him a year or two ago and was not particularly impressed. It’s possible he’s gotten a lot better, certainly it seems his athleticism has come a long way, because he seemed very ho-hum athletically at the time.

He says he models his game off Lebron James (who doesn’t?) so you’d hope he doesn’t get too big to play the SF position effectively (Josh Smith is best example of this) and is forced into a PF position at the next level. 

I think he’s got potential if his athleticism is up to NBA standards (which it seems to be according to your report Aran), so I’ll keep an ear out for anything I hear about him from over here and keep you updated as best I can.

 He would not get destroyed by Parker or Wiggins. He would get out played but would hold his own like he did against Noah Vonlah  this past weekend(who is only a step behind Wiggins and Parker talent wise)

"I grew up rooting for Duke," Simmons said. "I like the way they play."

 I’m really liking the look of the guy. He plays a completely different brand of basketball compared to most Australian’s at a pro level. Yet to see a highly athletic forward with skills come out Australia. Nothing but upside