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NBA Comparison: LeBron James/Lamar Odom
Strengths: An extremely unique talent, combining power forward size and strength, with point guard vision and passing skills … Has the size, physical gifts and skill to defend and play all five positions at the next level, ideal for the emphasis on "positionless basketball" … Highly unselfish, team oriented player … A supreme competitor and a proven winner, having captured three national high school championships (in three seasons) … Attitude/character is by all accounts one of his greatest assets, as he is praised by many for being "a better person than player" … Has tremendous strength, showing the ability to play right through contact and finish … An elite level rebounder showing the grit and desire to grab every rebound in his area, and put in work on the offensive glass … Starts breaks off of defensive rebounds consistently, huge threat if he ends a defensive possession … His vision and passing is the trademark of his game, incredibly unique to find a kid with such imagination and vision along with being a big and elite level athlete … Excellent ball handler, thrives in the open floor, whether it be as a ball handler, passer or finishing at the hoop in transition … Possesses excellent body control and strength to score on drives … Has great balance, showing the ability to maneuver through traffic without crashing into defenders and drawing offensive fouls, possesses unique start/stop body control … Huge hands gives him excellent control of the ball … The scary part is at only 19, he has already proven himself in one-on-one battles with the likes of Anthony Davis and James Harden (At Nike Academy), and one has to wonder just how much better he can become … He is a hardworking kid with the type of weaknesses, namely shooting, that can be improved upon … Well spoken, confident kid who apparently has no trouble being a vocal leader, strong communicator … Level headed, mature kid who seems to battle through adversity with ease, does not lose his cool or get down when things get challenging …
Weaknesses: Despite being a good scorer, he lacks a reliable jumpshot … His form doesn’t have any glaring mechanical flaws, but it’s apparent that it’s the one element of his game that he isn’t completely confident in … Can have scoring droughts in games related to both his confidence in his shot, and unselfishness … Should work on his shot, and in particular his spot up shooting and staying on balance, can tend to fade back and be off center … He has the desire and work ethic to become a gym rat, and his shooting should improve considerably over time … Should look to utilize his strength even more by attacking the rim and looking to draw fouls more often … Becoming a better outside shooter would make him even more deadly off the dribble, as opponents would be forced to play up on him, where they now tend to give him room and force the shot … While he shares a number of LeBron’s attributes, he is not the same level athlete … He is an above average leaper with strength, but is a notch (or two) below LeBron as a physical specimen, not necessarily a weakness, just an observation of this common comparison …
Notes: Measured 6’9.5’’ in shoes, with a 6’11’’ wingspan and 229 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy … Rumored to possess an 8’11" standing reach … As a 15 year old, Simmons came to the U.S. as a highly skilled 6-foot-7 wing and has proceeded to grow close to three inches, putting on a great deal of muscle … Grew up around basketball. Father, Dave Simmons, played in the NBL in Australia … Has been friends with fellow countryman Dante Exum since he was 7 years old … He has power forward size and strength with a unique package of skills … There have not been many freshmen that have come into college and quickly established themselves as the top players in the nation (one of a few parallels with Magic Johnson) …
Aran Smith 1/26/16
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Strengths: 6’9 Aussie small forward with a versatile skill set … High level athlete with a smoothness to his game … Has a chance to be special … Just turned 16 and already playing at an high level for high school age … Lefty shooter with feathery touch and excellent release … Grew up around the game, and shows a feel for the game that cannot be learned on the fly … Adept at creating shots for himself and can spot up or pull up off the dribble … Very good at creating offense for himself or others … Has a tremendous basketball body with a big frame, wide shoulders, enormous hands and long arms … Strong family background has made him a hard working kid with a strong work ethic … High level vision and passing skills. His passing ability is rare for a forward … Already 6’8 and his growth plates are still open. Could end up in the 6’10 range when all is said and done … Great first step and knows how to use ball fakes to get his man off balance … Shows the competitiveness to raise his level of play in clutch situations and when he’s challenged … Solid defender. Gets a low base. Good lateral speed. Stays in front of his man. Doesn’t gamble … Great maturity/composure. Rarely rushes things and gets out of control. … Has avoided being coddled by the AAU scene … His game is very advanced/complete for such a young player, doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses …
Weaknesses: He’s such an advanced player for his age, any defiencies are really nit picking at this point … Plays almost too unselfish at times. Not a prolific scorer, yet. Should look to become more aggressive at creating shots for himself … Needs to mature physically, but has a great body already and will only continue to get stronger. Just a baby at 16 so plenty of time for his body to get stronger … Will need to be able to block out the hype and stay focused … Can become better at moving without the ball. Learning to set his man up off of screnes and staying active …
Notes: Plans to play college ball after high school, and possibly come over to the US for his senior year … Broke onto the scene with a strong performance at the 2012 Pangos Camp gaining national attention in the US … Has proven himself against the best high school players on numerous occaisions … Grew up around basketball. Father, Dave Simmons, played in the NBL … Has known countryman Dante Exum since he was 7 years old … Measured 6’9.5’’ in shoes, with a 6’11’’ wingspan and 229 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy
Aran Smith 8/10/2012
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