Brett Brown: 'Good chance' Simmons becomes 76ers' point guard
The fanciful comparisons to LeBron James are starting to come to fruition for first overall pick Ben Simmons.
Although the 6-foot-10 Aussie played as a power forward in his lone year at LSU, Simmons might shift over to point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, according to head coach Brett Brown.
"I can’t wait for the season to begin and all over the place I’m very, very excited to start our season,” Brown told Joseph Santoliquito of CBS Philly. “I think (Simmons) is going to have some taste of (point guard) for sure. He’ll dictate that himself when he rebounds and leads the break."
Unlike most power forwards, Simmons has tremendous vision and is an exceptional ball-handler. He put up five assists per game in college and replicated that effort with 5.5 assists in Summer League action.
Related: Ben Simmons displays elite passing ability vs. Lakers
"I think initially we’re going to play him in different positions and that (point guard) will certainly be one of them. I believe he’s an elite passer. He has the mentality to do that first -and in a 6-foot-10 frame that weighs 240, 250 pounds, at 20 years old. That’s a great package to work with to play multiple positions," Brown said.
As it currently stands, the Sixers don't have anyone blocking Simmons at the point. Two veteran point guards on the roster in Jerryd Bayless and Sergio Rodriguez are nothing more than placeholders - Simmons will be the long-term option at point guard.
Having Simmons handle the ball would also mitigate two tricky hurdles. First, since Simmons can't shoot, letting him handle and create would make him less of a liability on offense. Second, shifting Simmons to the backcourt would solve the Sixers' logjam in the frontcourt.
"He’s going to be a facilitator. You’re going to see (Simmons) making plays. The ball will be in his hands and you can call what position you want. He’s certainly going to have the ball in his hands a lot, and everybody will certainly be reaping the benefits of that and truly enjoy playing with him. What we will say is we will give him the ball as much as we can," Brown added.