*** -- PROCESSING Your Philadelphia 76ers -- ***

I think Bayless is a good signing and he should play well with Simmons. Finally shooters!
Kinda want Crabbe too (don't think he signed anywhere yet?) although I also think Covington will be better with better players around him. Plus his contract is such a steal.

Nice debut for the kid last night. He really sees the whole floor. Some of those passes were ridiculous.

Philadelphia 76ers Ben Simmons showing signs of superstar status?

by Kevin Pelton on 2016-07-13

Can an NBA player be a superstar without being an elite scorer?

That's the question Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick of this year's NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, might end up posing.

During two games with the summer Sixers in the Utah Jazz Summer League, Simmons didn't do much scoring. But as Philadelphia prepares to head to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League and a Saturday night showdown against the L.A. Lakers and No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram, Simmons has certainly shown the potential that made him the top pick last month.

Here's a thumbnail scouting report of Simmons' first two games as a pro:

Playmaking

Above anything else, Simmons' passing has stood out in Salt Lake City. Not necessarily in terms of assists, though Simmons had five in his debut Monday night and six more Thursday. Those numbers still can't do justice to the quality of Simmons' passing.

At times, Simmons finds open teammates before they even know they're open. When Simmons gets to training camp, expect a lot of passes bouncing off unaware teammates who aren't yet used to his court vision.

Few of Simmons' assists have been of the kind any player can get out of the flow of the offense. Instead, he throws high-value passes that tend to lead to layups -- Sixers center Richaun Holmes got two of those off Simmons feed in the first quarter alone Thursday night -- or open 3s.

And when Simmons spots the defense tilting his direction, leaving a shooter uncovered on the weak side, he's capable of whipping the ball crosscourt at high velocity with either hand -- something really only LeBron James does among veteran NBA players.

All of this suggests Philadelphia is wise to look at Simmons as a point guard, no matter which position he defends at the other end of the court. The 76ers signing Jerryd Bayless to a three-year contract suggests they're committed to this plan. Bayless will likely defend point guards while helping Simmons initiate the offense, and he's capable of playing off the ball when Simmons is running the show.

As a point guard, Simmons will have to avoid overdribbling and running down the shot clock, an occasional tendency presumably left over from the 30-second shot clock in the NCAA game.

Scoring

After scoring 10 points on Monday night before leaving due to calf cramping midway through the fourth quarter, Simmons had just six on Thursday. That's partially a function of Simmons driving to dish rather than to score, but he also shot 4-of-17 from the field in the two games.

On Monday, Philadelphia had success putting Simmons at the elbow, where a pull-up jumper is within his range and he can also use his quick first step to get to the basket. But even those midrange attempts weren't falling for Simmons on Thursday, reinforcing his weakness as a shooter.

We also saw Simmons struggle at times to score in traffic. The quality of rim protection is one of the biggest differences between the college game and the NBA, even in summer league, and that will be an adjustment for Simmons -- especially when opponents start playing him for the pass and staying home defensively.

Simmons will get points in the flow of the game, but at this stage of his career he's not a particularly good scorer.

Defense

Perhaps the most encouraging part of Simmons' debut was how well he competed at the defensive end. At LSU, Simmons' energy level on defense waned toward the end of the season as hopes of an NCAA tournament berth slipped away.

Physically, Simmons has the tools to defend either forward position. I particularly liked the way he used his long arms defending against guards on switches, playing off far enough to prevent penetration while still having the ability to contest a pull-up jumper.

Since the Sixers won't need a traditional point guard with Simmons, they could potentially put three wings on the court and switch any picks involving those players and Simmons.

Alas, that defensive effort didn't quite carry over on Thursday night. We didn't see Simmons in a defensive stance as consistently, and this time Utah journeyman Dionte Christmas beat him off the dribble when Simmons switched on to him. Keeping Simmons' defensive intensity up during his rookie season will be one of Brown's biggest challenges coaching him.

Overall

My college projections pegged Draymond Green as the closest comp for Simmons' freshman year, and after watching him in person this week I'm increasingly convinced that's the case -- on offense.

Obviously, Simmons doesn't have the same motor or basketball IQ that makes Green one of the league's top defenders, although he's bigger. In terms of how Simmons can impact a game offensively, however, I think Green (who ranked 10th in the league in offensive rating in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus) is a good parallel.

It took the Golden State Warriors a few seasons to figure out how to maximize Green as a point forward. That didn't really happen until this past season, in fact. Philadelphia can use that example to speed up the process with Simmons. Given his importance to the franchise, there's no other choice for the 76ers.