I'll start by saying I'm not an ESPN Insider, so can't access this year's article. But there is a Hoops Collective podcast (Windhorst, Pelton, Bobby Marks) where they talk about some of the highlights of the rankings. They did list out the top 10:
1. Luka
2. Zion
3. LaMelo Ball (!?!?!)
4. Donovan Mitchell
5. Tatum
6. De'Aaron Fox
7. Ben Simmons
8. Devin Booker
9. Bam Adebayo
10. SGA
I don't HATE that list. I would probably put Tatum above Mitchell, only because I think his upside is a bit higher due to his physical gifts and the versatility they potentially could bring.
Ball I haven't seen enough of to comment on.
Fox is good, but he's no way better then Simmons. I'd have to put Brown over Fox in all honesty, and that's not bias speaking - I just think he has a higher probability of becoming the type of guy you can build a franchise around.
Wouldn't put Adebayo over Simmons. He's a very good player, but (last season's fluke finals run aside) I don't think he'll ever be a centerpiece on a championship team.
Booker I don't think I put over Simmons either. Elite scorer, but what else does he do? I'm of the understanding his defence is pretty bad, though in fairness I haven't seen him play for a while.
Bit surprised that Trae Young isn't on that list to be honest. As a 22 year old guy who's already got career averages of 24 / 4 / 9 his upside seems absolutely through the roof. Yeah I know he has some limitations, but is there anybody in this league who wouldn't take Trae over Fox?
Also, the idea here is future potential weighs a lot. So fine, Ball gets some benefit of the doubt as these writers think he's bound for superstardom. I guess we can debate that. But Ben Simmons... idk... am I wrong to think he is what he is? He hasn't improved dramatically. He hasn't shown the willingness to develop a shot. He's a great player now, All-Star, but I would bet Jaylen Brown to improve more than Simmons over the next 5 years, and today I would rather have Brown.
I don't know. Simmons is hard to put a value on because he's not a big time scorer, so I don't think he's the type of guy who could be the centerpiece of your franchise. But at the same time he does so much on the court that his overall impact is massive, and that's something that probably needs to be considered.
He could be the best passing + ball handling big man since Magic Johnson. He's a strong (if not elite) rebounder by PF/C standards. He's absolutely deadly on offence in transition. He is an elite defensive player and could very easily win multiple DPOTY awards before his career is up. He's a guy who can legitimately play 5 positions on both offence and defence, and can probably do that better then anybody else in the league.
At this point I think you have to move on the assumption that he won't develop a jump shot, and if he does it's a bonus. Even with that assumption in place he is a hell of an impact player when used the right way, and I think he is the type of guy who could be a key piece on a championship team...but he'd have to have one or two elite scorers alongside him.
I agree with you on Simmons (except that he is more impactful then Adebayo). As much as I love Jaylen Brown, I would move him for Simmons but I'm doubtful 76ers would entertain a deal. I think it would be a great experiment for both teams, 76ers would improve their spacing and scoring but their playmaking would take a nosedive and even though Brown is a great on ball defender I think their defensive rating would take a hit. Celtics would get a player maker they need and someone who encourages ball movement, Simmons would improve our defence and offensive rebounding but how would we operate in the half court? I'd say we'd need a centre who could space the floor like an Ibaka to counter Simmons non shooting.
Yeah, I think I would pull the trigger on a Simmons for Brown deal.
Also even though it's not a "skill" so much, you can't underestimate the impact it has having a 6'9" PG and the type of constant mismatches that can cause.
Other thing I love about Simmons is that you can really play him anywhere. He could play the PG spot of could just as easily play the center spot. People throw that "swiss army knife" tag around a lot, Simmons is one guy who really does fit that bill. All you need is a vacant position, and he can play it.
