For the Ben Simmons critics..

[Moranis]

After his first 4 games as an NBA pro, Ben Simmons is averaging 17 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal and 49% FG - the kid has "Franchise Player" written all over him.

I just don't get why so many people were expecting Simmons to be a bust.  I just can't grasp it.  The guy has one of the most unique and impressive talent sets I've seen come into the league in years, and may well be the best passing + ball handling guy at 6'10" ever to play the game, and combines that with elite athleticism, elite rebounding and a dominant transition game.  If this kid ever develops even just a PASSABLE jump shot, he will be absolutely unstoppable.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to witness a player with such special talent set, and I only wish the Celtics pick had fallen a couple of spots higher that year so we could have snatched him up for ourselves.  Moving forward with Simmons and Tatum as the future of the Celtics would have been an absolute godsend!

Anyhow, for the sake of the game I really hope this kid can stay healthy and continues to flourish and grow - it's fun seeing unique talents like Simmons and Giannis single handedly redefine the concept of "positionless basketball".

I'm not sure who expected him to be a bust.  He is going to be an all star level player but until he can become a decent outside shooter he will never be a superstar.  But to be able to make plays at his size is really fun to watch.  He has special vision for a big guy and will be good in the post.  But he can't shoot to save his life outside of 5 ft.  It's really bad.

Magic Johnson was a pretty poor outside shooter.  He seemed to do ok in his career. 

[moiso]

After his first 4 games as an NBA pro, Ben Simmons is averaging 17 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal and 49% FG - the kid has "Franchise Player" written all over him.

I just don't get why so many people were expecting Simmons to be a bust.  I just can't grasp it.  The guy has one of the most unique and impressive talent sets I've seen come into the league in years, and may well be the best passing + ball handling guy at 6'10" ever to play the game, and combines that with elite athleticism, elite rebounding and a dominant transition game.  If this kid ever develops even just a PASSABLE jump shot, he will be absolutely unstoppable.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to witness a player with such special talent set, and I only wish the Celtics pick had fallen a couple of spots higher that year so we could have snatched him up for ourselves.  Moving forward with Simmons and Tatum as the future of the Celtics would have been an absolute godsend!

Anyhow, for the sake of the game I really hope this kid can stay healthy and continues to flourish and grow - it's fun seeing unique talents like Simmons and Giannis single handedly redefine the concept of "positionless basketball".

I'm not sure who expected him to be a bust.  He is going to be an all star level player but until he can become a decent outside shooter he will never be a superstar.  But to be able to make plays at his size is really fun to watch.  He has special vision for a big guy and will be good in the post.  But he can't shoot to save his life outside of 5 ft.  It's really bad.

I can name some people here that were predicting Simmons would be a bust including one guy who thinks all of our g league level players will be better than Simmons.  Yes, he can’t shoot but EVERY rookie has flaws.

[gouki88]

After his first 4 games as an NBA pro, Ben Simmons is averaging 17 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal and 49% FG - the kid has "Franchise Player" written all over him.

I just don't get why so many people were expecting Simmons to be a bust.  I just can't grasp it.  The guy has one of the most unique and impressive talent sets I've seen come into the league in years, and may well be the best passing + ball handling guy at 6'10" ever to play the game, and combines that with elite athleticism, elite rebounding and a dominant transition game.  If this kid ever develops even just a PASSABLE jump shot, he will be absolutely unstoppable.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to witness a player with such special talent set, and I only wish the Celtics pick had fallen a couple of spots higher that year so we could have snatched him up for ourselves.  Moving forward with Simmons and Tatum as the future of the Celtics would have been an absolute godsend!

Anyhow, for the sake of the game I really hope this kid can stay healthy and continues to flourish and grow - it's fun seeing unique talents like Simmons and Giannis single handedly redefine the concept of "positionless basketball".

I'm not sure who expected him to be a bust.  He is going to be an all star level player but until he can become a decent outside shooter he will never be a superstar.  But to be able to make plays at his size is really fun to watch.  He has special vision for a big guy and will be good in the post.  But he can't shoot to save his life outside of 5 ft.  It's really bad.

Magic Johnson was a pretty poor outside shooter.  He seemed to do ok in his career.

Bit of a ridiculous thing to say.

Firstly, Magic was more than capable of knocking down shots from anywhere within the arc. Simmons however, is almost petrified to put anything up outside of the key. Another component of this is that Magic was a .848% free throw shooter for his career - numbers Simmons can only dream of.

Another big aspect is that Magic was maybe the best passer to ever step foot on the court. Simmons is a good playmaker. Bit of a difference.

If Simmons had a) the ability to hit free throws and mid-range shots and/or b) could potentially be the best playmaker ever then sure, go ahead with that comparison. But he can't and couldn't.

[Moranis]

After his first 4 games as an NBA pro, Ben Simmons is averaging 17 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal and 49% FG - the kid has "Franchise Player" written all over him.

I just don't get why so many people were expecting Simmons to be a bust.  I just can't grasp it.  The guy has one of the most unique and impressive talent sets I've seen come into the league in years, and may well be the best passing + ball handling guy at 6'10" ever to play the game, and combines that with elite athleticism, elite rebounding and a dominant transition game.  If this kid ever develops even just a PASSABLE jump shot, he will be absolutely unstoppable.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to witness a player with such special talent set, and I only wish the Celtics pick had fallen a couple of spots higher that year so we could have snatched him up for ourselves.  Moving forward with Simmons and Tatum as the future of the Celtics would have been an absolute godsend!

Anyhow, for the sake of the game I really hope this kid can stay healthy and continues to flourish and grow - it's fun seeing unique talents like Simmons and Giannis single handedly redefine the concept of "positionless basketball".

I'm not sure who expected him to be a bust.  He is going to be an all star level player but until he can become a decent outside shooter he will never be a superstar.  But to be able to make plays at his size is really fun to watch.  He has special vision for a big guy and will be good in the post.  But he can't shoot to save his life outside of 5 ft.  It's really bad.

Magic Johnson was a pretty poor outside shooter.  He seemed to do ok in his career.

Bit of a ridiculous thing to say.

Firstly, Magic was more than capable of knocking down shots from anywhere within the arc. Simmons however, is almost petrified to put anything up outside of the key. Another component of this is that Magic was a .848% free throw shooter for his career - numbers Simmons can only dream of.

Another big aspect is that Magic was maybe the best passer to ever step foot on the court. Simmons is a good playmaker. Bit of a difference.

If Simmons had a) the ability to hit free throws and mid-range shots and/or b) could potentially be the best playmaker ever then sure, go ahead with that comparison. But he can't and couldn't.

Magic was 7 of 31 as a rookie from 3 (22.6%).  That was his best 3PT% until his 7th year in the league when he was 10 of 43 (23.3%).  That was his best until his last 4 seasons when he finally started to shoot more and hit more and finally cracked 30%.  Magic has shown to be a better foul shooter than Simmons has been both in college and thus far, but let's not somehow pretend Magic was a good outside shooter.  He wasn't.  He built his scoring career in the paint and getting to the line (career FTr of 48.9%).  That is pretty much what Simmons will be (his FTr through 4 games is 49.1%).  Magic was most certainly a better passer than Simmons will be, but Simmons will most likely be a better rebounder and a better defender.  Magic is the most logical comparison for Simmons.  Big athletic players with excellent court vision and rebounding who can get in the paint at will, but lacking long range shooting touch.  And do not get me wrong, I'm not saying that Simmons will ever be anywhere near Magic as a player, just that if everything goes right for Simmons, Magic seems like the most reasonable comparison for him.   

[celticsclay]

After his first 4 games as an NBA pro, Ben Simmons is averaging 17 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal and 49% FG - the kid has "Franchise Player" written all over him.

I just don't get why so many people were expecting Simmons to be a bust.  I just can't grasp it.  The guy has one of the most unique and impressive talent sets I've seen come into the league in years, and may well be the best passing + ball handling guy at 6'10" ever to play the game, and combines that with elite athleticism, elite rebounding and a dominant transition game.  If this kid ever develops even just a PASSABLE jump shot, he will be absolutely unstoppable.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to witness a player with such special talent set, and I only wish the Celtics pick had fallen a couple of spots higher that year so we could have snatched him up for ourselves.  Moving forward with Simmons and Tatum as the future of the Celtics would have been an absolute godsend!

Anyhow, for the sake of the game I really hope this kid can stay healthy and continues to flourish and grow - it's fun seeing unique talents like Simmons and Giannis single handedly redefine the concept of "positionless basketball".

I'm not sure who expected him to be a bust.  He is going to be an all star level player but until he can become a decent outside shooter he will never be a superstar.  But to be able to make plays at his size is really fun to watch.  He has special vision for a big guy and will be good in the post.  But he can't shoot to save his life outside of 5 ft.  It's really bad.

I can name some people here that were predicting Simmons would be a bust including one guy who thinks all of our g league level players will be better than Simmons.  Yes, he can’t shoot but EVERY rookie has flaws.

So we are saying an "I told you so" thread needed to be made after Simmons had 4 good statistical games acting like everyone hated the guy because a handful of posters thought he was a bust (or one guy was being an extreme homer?). This board will really go downhill fast if we all start operating like that. I get people wanting to do it with fultz cause we traded him, but we never even had a connection or chance at drafting Simmons.

[Sophomore]

How about if we put it this way: imagine we can run the 2016 draft over again and this time the Celtics win the lottery. Knowing what you know now, do you want the Celtics to pick Simmons or Jaylen Brown?

I find that question hard to answer, but after all is said and done I'm OK with choosing Brown again. The tools are obvious, and so is the work ethic. Still, I can imagine a world in which Simmons and Tatum would grow into a more lethal combination.

[RockinRyA]

After his first 4 games as an NBA pro, Ben Simmons is averaging 17 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal and 49% FG - the kid has "Franchise Player" written all over him.

I just don't get why so many people were expecting Simmons to be a bust.  I just can't grasp it.  The guy has one of the most unique and impressive talent sets I've seen come into the league in years, and may well be the best passing + ball handling guy at 6'10" ever to play the game, and combines that with elite athleticism, elite rebounding and a dominant transition game.  If this kid ever develops even just a PASSABLE jump shot, he will be absolutely unstoppable.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to witness a player with such special talent set, and I only wish the Celtics pick had fallen a couple of spots higher that year so we could have snatched him up for ourselves.  Moving forward with Simmons and Tatum as the future of the Celtics would have been an absolute godsend!

Anyhow, for the sake of the game I really hope this kid can stay healthy and continues to flourish and grow - it's fun seeing unique talents like Simmons and Giannis single handedly redefine the concept of "positionless basketball".

I'm not sure who expected him to be a bust.  He is going to be an all star level player but until he can become a decent outside shooter he will never be a superstar.  But to be able to make plays at his size is really fun to watch.  He has special vision for a big guy and will be good in the post.  But he can't shoot to save his life outside of 5 ft.  It's really bad.

I can name some people here that were predicting Simmons would be a bust including one guy who thinks all of our g league level players will be better than Simmons.  Yes, he can’t shoot but EVERY rookie has flaws.

So we are saying an "I told you so" thread needed to be made after Simmons had 4 good statistical games acting like everyone hated the guy because a handful of posters thought he was a bust (or one guy was being an extreme homer?). This board will really go downhill fast if we all start operating like that. I get people wanting to do it with fultz cause we traded him, but we never even had a connection or chance at drafting Simmons.

Yep.

[Moranis]

How about if we put it this way: imagine we can run the 2016 draft over again and this time the Celtics win the lottery. Knowing what you know now, do you want the Celtics to pick Simmons or Jaylen Brown?

I find that question hard to answer, but after all is said and done I'm OK with choosing Brown again. The tools are obvious, and so is the work ethic. Still, I can imagine a world in which Simmons and Tatum would grow into a more lethal combination.

Simmons every time.  I think Brown has certainly looked like the 2nd best player and prospect from the draft thus far, but again it is very early and a lot can and probably will change (though that might not). 

[Donoghus]

If I'm a Philly fan, I certainly fell a lot better about Simmons than Fultz.

You can see the potential there with Simmons.  Kid certainly has some gifts.  He's still a bit of a tease at this point, obviously, but you see glimpses of what he can become & you'd have to be excited if you're a Sixers fan.

[SHAQATTACK]

he reminds me some of Magic Johnson on a fast break dishing the ball.  Magic grew up in a more,i tense , strict era where messing around , acting stupid was not the norm. 

Have to wait and see Simmons mature ,  will he act like Boogie , or be serious like Magic Johnson about winning .

will they get the 120 million and just coast along .  Not really caring.

[footey]

Simmons looked a lot more confident his last game.  He took it to the hole with the game on the line at the end, which impressed me. He has started to hit his free throws. He will get fouled a lot, so that is going to be critical to achieving a high level of offensive efficiency.

You'd take him over Brown, but that doesn't diminish the growth and maturity in Brown's game.  He needs to develop more of a selfish attitude with the ball, and also not get skittish when he misses a couple of shots.  He should be able to draw a foul half the time he takes it to the hoop. Really needs to work on his foul shooting!!

[Fan from VT]

Ben Simmons was the consensus #1 pick, deservedly so. Missing all of last year honestly didn't/shouldn't change that as there isn't any reason to suspect his injury is going to be chronic. Now he is playing about where he would have been expected to last year if he hadn't been injured. He would still go #1 in a redraft of the 2016 draft, which doesn't mean anything bad about the good players from that draft, like Brown, Labasiere, etc.

[playdream]

Simmons' talent is without doubt, but he is also kind of empty stat guy, and he will need multiple allstars around him to be successful 

[KG Living Legend]

 Big Ben doing exactly what he should be at this stage. Avery Bradley can't even keep him in front of him.
 He can get virtually anywhere he wants on the court, the difference is when he gets anywhere near the hoop he's 6'10" so he's just hitting a simple jump hook, Layup, or another very easy shot.

 He's not quite as fast as Lebron at the same age, but he's got even better handles. He's gonna be special if healthy.

[PhoSita]

I never expected him to be a bust, but I think his lack of finishing polish will be a problem early in his career, and his lack of a jumper will probably always be an issue.

Still, if he's basically just a better passing not quite as athletic version of Giannis, he'll be a very valuable player.


I don't know how I feel about Philly's team as a whole, but it looks like they should be pretty good moving forward when they have Simmons and Embiid on the court together.