Let's be clear. Simmons going number one

[Who]

I kinda wonder if Ben Simmons is going to be a Shawn Marion level star. I don't mean stylistically because they are quite different types of forwards but ... in the way that Marion was a terrific player but at his best when he was the 2nd or preferably 3rd best player on the team. He wasn't able to lead a team. To be a center offensive threat.

I wonder if Simmons will be the same. He is terrific in the open floor but his half-court game is dodgy. Very poor midrange shot. Very poor long shooter. Only really effective scoring wise around the rim. His ball-handling is good but too often he has to clear out lots of space to drive past people (in large part due to lack of a jumper). Many of his drives remind me of Odom in those one-on-one situations. Not a complimentary comment for a hopeful superstar.

Simmons is absolutely terrific though against a scrambling defense. If someone else gets the defense moving, gets a double team or forces a help defender out of position, and then swings the ball to Simmons ... Simmons is absolutely dynamite. From that position, he can attack off the dribble and get to the basket easily or pick you apart with his terrific vision and passing.

Like a more athletic and better passing Draymond Green. But someone who needs a Steph Curry next to him. A heck of a player but not a superstar.

[vjcsmoke]

Simmons just makes the game look so easy.  It's hard not to see him as a superstar.  However right now, Ingram looks like he's got more shooting ability, and defensively could become a monster with his shotblocking.

Simmons is a 4, and I see Ingram as a 3.  For team needs, we need a star 3 more than we need a star 4.  However either one would be a welcome upgrade for our team if we should be so luck to land a top 2 pick!!

[loco_91]

I'll make one more point in favor of Simmons (though I still like Ingram a bit better). Simmons is currently shooting lefty when he is clearly a righty (as pointed out by Kevin O'Connor). On the one hand, this explains his shooting woes and suggests that he likely won't develop very far as a lefty shooter. On the other hand, he might be able to switch to shooting righty, and if he does so, the results could be surprisingly good. He's a solid FT shooter (67%) considering he's shooting with the wrong hand, and around the basket he shows much better touch with his right. It won't be instantaneous; he'll have to put in a lot of hard work to make the switch, and it's not clear that he has the work ethic + drive to do so. But it gives him a solid bit of upside to get drastically better at shooting that most poor shooters don't have.

[greece66]

Hield at #1 would be certifiably insane, but Ingram would not.

This.

Ingram is one year younger, more down to earth and plays better D.

Simmons has an amazing body, and great skills but seems not to care so much for the team and to try too hard to inflate his own stats. There is also the whole "Simmons can't shoot/Simmons shoots with the wrong hand// thing, but IMO this is less of a concern given that he has so many other ways to score.

[PhoSita]

I kinda wonder if Ben Simmons is going to be a Shawn Marion level star. I don't mean stylistically because they are quite different types of forwards but ... in the way that Marion was a terrific player but at his best when he was the 2nd or preferably 3rd best player on the team. He wasn't able to lead a team. To be a center offensive threat.

I wonder if Simmons will be the same. He is terrific in the open floor but his half-court game is dodgy. Very poor midrange shot. Very poor long shooter. Only really effective scoring wise around the rim. His ball-handling is good but too often he has to clear out lots of space to drive past people (in large part due to lack of a jumper). Many of his drives remind me of Odom in those one-on-one situations. Not a complimentary comment for a hopeful superstar.

Simmons is absolutely terrific though against a scrambling defense. If someone else gets the defense moving, gets a double team or forces a help defender out of position, and then swings the ball to Simmons ... Simmons is absolutely dynamite. From that position, he can attack off the dribble and get to the basket easily or pick you apart with his terrific vision and passing.

Like a more athletic and better passing Draymond Green. But someone who needs a Steph Curry next to him. A heck of a player but not a superstar.

All of this may be true, but he's still the unquestioned best prospect in this draft, in my opinion.

Ingram is nice, but I think best case he's a poor man's version of Durant, or a less-defensive version of Paul George.  A silky finesse scorer at the 3/4.

Simmons is gonna cause teams nightmares in the open court.  In the wrong situation, I think he might flounder, but with the right coach, on a team that knows how to support his skillset, he'll be stupendous.

[sdceltsfan]

I like Simmons, but I think Ingram is the best fit for this team.

My dream scenario is that we win the lottery and then immediately get on the phone with whoever ends up with #2 (Philly, LA, PHO, etc).

We then trade down to #2, and ask them to cough up a future 1st or two, or one of their solid prospects.

Hypothetical scenario:

Celtics land #1
Philly lands #2

We offer #1 and the Mavs pick

Philly sends us #2 and Okafor.

This of course assumes Philly had been tanking to win the Ben Simmons sweepstakes.

We then draft Brandon Ingram, and pry a big-man prospect who has underperformed so far, but still is light-years better than any big-man in this years draft class.

[PhoSita]

I imagine Philly would prefer to draft Ingram and then trade Okafor for multiple players and picks, ideally something that lands them a guard prospect.

[Moranis]

I imagine Philly would prefer to draft Ingram and then trade Okafor for multiple players and picks, ideally something that lands them a guard prospect.

I'd be happy to trade them Smart, Dallas, and Boston, but somehow I don't think they would be interested in that. 

[Jon]

I think with Simmons/Ingram debate some people are looking too much at their skillset and not enough at their overall individual talent.  Sure, if Ingram is Durant and Simmons is LeBron, you can make the argument that Ingram fits the C's style better.  But really Danny should be drafting whoever he thinks has the best shot to be a transcendent superstar.  As we already know, those players are extremely difficult to obtain.