His fellow rookies may not see him in an overwhelmingly positive light, but Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons is already a household name when it comes to NBA fans. The number one overall pick certainly sports some deficiencies to his game, but Fanatics.com indicates that Simmons is already one of the ten most popular NBA players when it comes to selling jerseys (h/t Philly.com).
According to Fanatics by way of Philly.com, the 6’10 forward lands tenth on the overall NBA list, trailing stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. From an overall standpoint, Simmons’ jersey is even the most popular among professional athletes who represent Philadelphia. There have been concerns voiced from NBA experts about Simmons’ immediate prospects because of his weaknesses as a shooter and scorer, but Simmons has the backing of a massive, multi-year deal with Nike and the top overall pick almost always enters the league with lofty expectations.
It will be seen as odd, at least by some, that Simmons is receiving this kind of attention before ever setting foot on an NBA court, but that comes with the territory. Whether he’ll be able to live up to that billing and “earn” the adoration of 76ers fans, though, is something that remains unclear.
(Via Philly.com, Fanatics)
