There’s plenty to talk about these days when it comes to the Sixers. Joel Embiid has a new max contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia through 2023, with the Sixers betting on their star big man staying healthy and being a franchise player.
Top overall pick from the 2017 NBA Draft Markelle Fultz is also getting plenty of buzz, with there being a mixture of excitement and also a bit of concern due to his lingering shoulder injury and changed free throw stroke. Finally, there’s Ben Simmons, the top overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft who sat out all of last year with a fractured foot.
Simmons’ NBA preseason debut was nothing short of sensational, as he flashed his vision with tremendous passes and his abilities driving to the basket. This season, Simmons will battle his teammate Fultz as well as Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, Mavs point guard Dennis Smith Jr., and others for the Rookie of the Year award, and the Aussie doesn’t want people to forget about him in the midst of so much hype and young talent in Philly.
As Simmons told Bleacher Report in a recent profile on the young star, he’s going to make sure people remember him and are talking about him this season and he won’t be overshadowed by the larger than life personality and talents of Joel Embiid.
“I want to go in and make sure everybody remembers my name,” he says. “I want to get out there and play where everyone’s talking about me.”
It seems impossible for Simmons to be forgotten, especially considering he’s now the odds on favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, but he’s found some motivation within the Sixers’ locker room to push himself to be even better. Simmons’ quote hopefully won’t be seen as a selfish comment, but instead one of confidence. He’s been nothing but complimentary of Embiid and Fultz’s games and how he thinks they can work great together this season, not to mention so much of his game is about getting others involved and putting them in the right spots as a point forward.
That said, Simmons wants to prove something to people that he feels might be overlooking him with so much other young talent in Philly. So long as that remains a healthy in-house competition with the same collective goal, this could all be great for the Sixers. Keeping it positive will be the challenge for coach Brett Brown in making sure all of his young stars stay happy, involved, and on the same page.
