Tatum is better but the way 76ers use Simmons I see Simmons always being a better stat stuffer.
So for fantasy basketball I draft Simmons ahead of Tatum. In the real NBA I take Tatum.
This is unfair. Simmons is a tremendous passer and rebounder. Much better than Tatum in those areas. Those stats aren't empty stat stuffing stats. He is also an extremely good finisher, something Tatum really needs to work on. Sure, Tatum is a better shooter but Simmons is still average in his scoring efficiency.
Playoffs, Simmons got exposed while Tatum soared. I'm sure teams will be playing Simmons a lot more differently. If Simmons doesn't develop that shot he is going to be in trouble. Tatum has no flaws other than he isn't going to have a high usage rate. Tatum is basically a bigger version of Klay Thompson in that sense. Two things to also consider is whenever Tatum was at point foward he did well passing. Tatum is also a better defender than Simmons. Tatum isn't simply a better scorer he is a better overall player.
Tatum is not a better scorer than Simmons. He is a better shooter. Big difference.
Uh, what? This is a joke, right? Tatum is categorically, hands-down a better scorer than Simmons. He can score at all three levels; Simmons can only score on one level. Further, Tatum has shown that he can score on all types of defense - man, zone, pressure, etc. - and can both do it on his own (iso) or via ball movement. How exactly did Simmons do when we sagged off of him in the playoffs?
This just isn't a sensible argument that can be made by a reasonable person.
Of course it's a sensible argument. Don't be ridiculous. Tatum may be able to score more ways but Simmons is elite at scoring inside and finishing where Tatum is mediocre. His elite ability inside makes up for his lack of shooting.
Gianni's isn't a good shooter but is an elite scorer. LeBron wasn't a good shooter for many early years but was a elite scorer. Wade was similar. Just because you can't shoot from outside doesn't mean you aren't a scorer.
Tatum had a TS% of 58%. Simmons was at 56%. Not much difference there despite Tatum's great three point shooting and better FT shooting. Simmons scored a half point higher per36 taking less than 1 shot more per36. These stats show that an argument that Tatum is unquestionably a better scorer than Tatum is, to be nice, bunk.
Those guys aren't comparable to Ben Simmons in terms of shooting though. At all. Those guys are willing to take outside shots, and are actually a threat to hit them.
Simmons, on the other hand, has a worse 3PT% than Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan. Simmons scores a bit more than DJ, is slightly more efficient from the line, but way less efficient from the field.
He's a worse FT shooter than Dwight, worse from the field, and hasn't come close to the points Dwight put up in his prime.
You wouldn't make the argument that Dwight was a better scorer than TD when they were playing against each other during the late 2000's, would you? Despite D12 shooting better from the field than TD almost ever did, TD was the better scorer, no?
Those are the guys who Simmons is comparable to on offence way more than LeBron or Giannis. Giannis and LeBron have both attempted over 100 three's multiple times, with LeBron attempting over 350 numerous times. Simmons shot 11 threes and hit 0