Does Simmons' draft value fall after this week?

[Snakehead]

Edit - I see Pho's thinking the same thing.

Indeed.

Rondo always seemed like a power forward on offense.

That wouldn't have been such a problem if he played, you know, power forward.

Yeah agreed on this.

[aingeforthree]

I don't think Ainge has Simmons #1 on his big board.  Some of his office mates might have him there, but ultimately, I think he has Ingram at #1, with Simmons at #2. 

He's hoping to land Ingram.  If not, he's trading out.

[Ilikesports17]

As some have mentioned the comps "taller rondo" and "more athletic turner" seem to belittle Simmons as neither Rondo nor Turner are franchise type players.

However athletic Turner is pretty amazing. If Even Turner was an elite athlete he's surely an all-star.

6'10" Rondo is also a freaking beast.

Skinny Royce White is meaningless because Royce white was held back by his anxiety. would a sane, skinny, Royce white have been a beast? Perhaps. I mean even with this crippling anxiety he got picked in the mid first round.

[aingeforthree]

As some have mentioned the comps "taller rondo" and "more athletic turner" seem to belittle Simmons as neither Rondo nor Turner are franchise type players.

However athletic Turner is pretty amazing. If Even Turner was an elite athlete he's surely an all-star.

6'10" Rondo is also a freaking beast.

Skinny Royce White is meaningless because Royce white was held back by his anxiety. would a sane, skinny, Royce white have been a beast? Perhaps. I mean even with this crippling anxiety he got picked in the mid first round.

What position is he playing ?  Rondo and Turner both have far better shots than this kid.  That's scary.

Ingram is the safer bet.

[i believe in brad]

As some have mentioned the comps "taller rondo" and "more athletic turner" seem to belittle Simmons as neither Rondo nor Turner are franchise type players.

However athletic Turner is pretty amazing. If Even Turner was an elite athlete he's surely an all-star.

6'10" Rondo is also a freaking beast.

Skinny Royce White is meaningless because Royce white was held back by his anxiety. would a sane, skinny, Royce white have been a beast? Perhaps. I mean even with this crippling anxiety he got picked in the mid first round.

You really think Turner's biggest weakness is his athleticism?  I've always pegged him for being sneaky athletic based on some of his breakaway dunks.  Also you don't really see his athleticism play-to-play because that's not his game.  He's purposefully deliberate, almost Pierce-like.

The 3-pt shot and inability to really add anything off-ball are what hold him back IMO.

[PhoSita]

Simmons is a 6'10'' fluid athlete who should be pretty excellent on the boards, so you could play him at power forward next to a lot of different kinds of centers.

He could probably work just fine next to a versatile defender like Amir, or a stretch five like Kelly.

Point being, Simmons doesn't need to develop a great jumper to fit well on a good team as a power forward.

Plus, with Rondo and Turner we've seen that the easiest way for a guy to be valuable despite the lack of a jumper is being dangerous with the ball in his hands.  The key is, he needs to be a frequent and willing attacker (like Turner, not so much Rondo), he needs to be able to hit free throws, and he either needs to be an excellent finisher or add a lot of value apart from scoring (e.g. playmaking, defense, rebounding).

[Evantime34]

Simmons is a 6'10'' fluid athlete who should be pretty excellent on the boards, so you could play him at power forward next to a lot of different kinds of centers.

He could probably work just fine next to a versatile defender like Amir, or a stretch five like Kelly.

Point being, Simmons doesn't need to develop a great jumper to fit well on a good team as a power forward.

Plus, with Rondo and Turner we've seen that the easiest way for a guy to be valuable despite the lack of a jumper is being dangerous with the ball in his hands.  The key is, he needs to be a frequent and willing attacker (like Turner, not so much Rondo), he needs to be able to hit free throws, and he either needs to be an excellent finisher or add a lot of value apart from scoring (e.g. playmaking, defense, rebounding).

He doesn't need to develop a jumper to fit well on a good team, but he does need to develop a jump shot to be a good fit on any team. The distinction is that Simmons fits a team where everyone else on the floor can shoot, but if he's on a team with a traditional center and god forbid another position that can't shoot, then defenses can pack it in and make it really difficult for that team's offense to function.

That being said, with how soft his touch is in the paint I think he will develop a jumper.

Fit is going to be huge any player, but with Simmon's specific skill set you are forced to find specific players to build around him. Ingram fits in any modern NBA system.

[chilidawg]

Their last game was bad, but they did play pretty well as a team the last 3-4 regular season games and they did win their first round tournament game.  The whole narrative of a team collapse seems overblown to me.

[PhoSita]

Fit is going to be huge any player, but with Simmon's specific skill set you are forced to find specific players to build around him. Ingram fits in any modern NBA system.

This is true, but if Simmons is anywhere near as talented as he appears to be, rearranging the other pieces so that they fit his skillset doesn't sound like an unreasonable thing to do -- which again contrasts with guys like Rondo or Evan Turner.

When you're drafting a player you expect to be a star, I don't think you worry about how easily he'll fit on a roster.

And as for roster fit, I'd say the Celts are a pretty good one.  They've got a need in the frontcourt, and Stevens has shown he prefers to keep an array of versatile big men on hand to mix and match lineups.

It also turns out that Stevens has experience trying to maximize the talents of both Rajon Rondo and Evan Turner.

[Evantime34]

Fit is going to be huge any player, but with Simmon's specific skill set you are forced to find specific players to build around him. Ingram fits in any modern NBA system.

This is true, but if Simmons is anywhere near as talented as he appears to be, rearranging the other pieces so that they fit his skillset doesn't sound like an unreasonable thing to do -- which again contrasts with guys like Rondo or Evan Turner.

When you're drafting a player you expect to be a star, I don't think you worry about how easily he'll fit on a roster.

And as for roster fit, I'd say the Celts are a pretty good one.  They've got a need in the frontcourt, and Stevens has shown he prefers to keep an array of versatile big men on hand to mix and match lineups.

It also turns out that Stevens has experience trying to maximize the talents of both Rajon Rondo and Evan Turner.

Completely agree the Celtics are a good fit. In fact I think we are the best fit. We have a good coach, solid spacing and a defensive identity that would make him better. For example, if Philly drafts Simmons they will have trouble getting good value for all their other pieces that no longer fit next to their new star.

I'm not worrying about how easy it will be to fit the star you are drafting into the roster, I'm worried about how difficult it will be to assemble a team that fits that player. Getting 4 players who can shoot and also defend to put besides Simmons isn't the easiest task.

Philly is the worst fit, because I don't think any of their current bigs fit how they should be playing with Simmons as the starter. Phoenix might be fun, but already having two point guards doesn't allow Simmons to handle the ball as much as he needs to be to hit his ceiling. The Lakers aren't a terrible fit, because they could move forward with Russell and Simmons then build from there (I don't like Randle next to Simmons).

[LGC88]

I don't think Ainge has Simmons #1 on his big board.  Some of his office mates might have him there, but ultimately, I think he has Ingram at #1, with Simmons at #2. 

He's hoping to land Ingram.  If not, he's trading out.

Agree.
I think Simmons has a lot of media attention. I'm honestly impressed that a player that don't shoot the 3 is #1 on the mock draft.
Ingram is 14 months younger, he's a competitor, he's an excellent shooter. Clearly my favorite as well.
Anyway, mock draft are only indicative of eye test.
GM will have a much better vision with workouts.
I won't be surprised if Ainge has Simmons at 3 or 2 max.

[celticmania]

My problems with Ben Simmons have always been his attitude, length, and jumpshooting.  His attitude and body language have been a problem since his days of playing for the Australian junior team according to what I read earlier. He just seems cocky kinda reminds me of how Blake Griffin carries himself. Just rubs me the wrong way and has similar selfishness to Rondo because of looking for assists and making flashy plays in critical times. As far as his position I think he's a four but his wingspan is only 6'11 which can make is hard for him to guard bigger 4s especially with average tougness and motor. His shooting is also atrocious.  I never wanted Ben Simmons but I'm also not too thrilled about Brandon Ingram. I wouldn't mind if we got rid of the pick or took Jaylen Brown or someone else (aslong as its not Poetl) a little later in the 4 to 6 range.

[Who]

I think Simmons should play SF or C. I think he'll be less of a threat at PF. More players there will be able to defend him well than at any other position.

I'd love to see Simmons at C. His playmaking from there would be awesome. At SF, more of a power 3. A post up 3. Simmons would be a matchup nightmare at either position. Need a lot of floor spacing from your bigs to use Simmons as a power 3 in today's league though. So probably center.

[Ilikesports17]

As some have mentioned the comps "taller rondo" and "more athletic turner" seem to belittle Simmons as neither Rondo nor Turner are franchise type players.

However athletic Turner is pretty amazing. If Even Turner was an elite athlete he's surely an all-star.

6'10" Rondo is also a freaking beast.

Skinny Royce White is meaningless because Royce white was held back by his anxiety. would a sane, skinny, Royce white have been a beast? Perhaps. I mean even with this crippling anxiety he got picked in the mid first round.

You really think Turner's biggest weakness is his athleticism?  I've always pegged him for being sneaky athletic based on some of his breakaway dunks.  Also you don't really see his athleticism play-to-play because that's not his game.  He's purposefully deliberate, almost Pierce-like.

The 3-pt shot and inability to really add anything off-ball are what hold him back IMO.

Its not whats holding him back. I agree that he is really deliberate like Pierce. However If you popped on 3 inches and made him more athletic I think hed leap to All-Star level.

I mean if you made him a knock down shooter hed really be a stud, but I think if you improved his athleticism hed become an elite defender and hed be able to get to the rim with even more efficiency.

[Moranis]

I think Simmons should play SF or C. I think he'll be less of a threat at PF. More players there will be able to defend him well than at any other position.

I'd love to see Simmons at C. His playmaking from there would be awesome. At SF, more of a power 3. A post up 3. Simmons would be a matchup nightmare at either position. Need a lot of floor spacing from your bigs to use Simmons as a power 3 in today's league though. So probably center.

I totally agree.  Simmons at the 3 would be a nightmare for opposing teams, especially if he can develop any sort of outside shot.

My dream somewhat realistic summer would be:
1. land #1 or #2 pick - draft Simmons or Ingram
2. draft day trade with Philly - Olynyk, Rozier, 2016 Bos 1st, 2016 Phi 2nd for Noel
3. draft Denzel Valentine with Dallas pick
4. draft Gary Payton II with Minnesota 2nd rounder
5. draft two Euro stash players with remaining 2nd rounders
6. free agency trade with Cle - Crowder, Bradley, Jerekbo, 2017 Bos 1st (i.e. Bkn), 2018 Bkn 1st for Love
7. re-sign Zeller, Turner, Sullinger (reasonable mid-tier money, if they want more let them go)
8. bring back Johnson
9. sign veteran backup PG

So new 15 man roster (Payton, Hunter and maybe Valentine spend time in DL)
C - Noel, Sullinger, Zeller
PF - Love, Johnson, Mickey
SF - Simmons/Ingram, Young, Valentine
SG - Smart, Turner, Hunter
PG - Thomas, FA, Payton

I think that team has the right mix of defense and offense and is still incredibly young.  Wouldn't be on the level of Cleveland next year, but would certainly be a lot closer, but a couple of years down the road could be a real monster and a contender for a decade.