Dante Exum Found It Absurd That Ben Simmons Claimed To Have Put On 33-Plus Pounds

On a Philadelphia 76ers team full of intrigue and untapped potential, Ben Simmons is one of the biggest unknowns. His combination of size, athleticism and passing acumen can only be compared to a young LeBron James, but his lackluster collegiate career opened up questions about his desire to be truly great. Also, he can’t shoot a lick.

Simmons can’t do anything about the preconceptions surrounding his game until the season tips off in late October, but he did provide some preseason excitement in the classic form of bragging about how much muscle he added during the offseason. His boast seems a little extreme, however:

That’s 33-ish pounds! That is too much weight to gain in such a short amount of time, especially if you assume, like everyone does during preseason #MuscleWatch, that the only reason he’d brag about such a thing is because he believes it’s good weight. Simmons certainly hasn’t looked out of shape since Sixers’ camp opened, which means that we have some questions about his 250-pound estimation. So does Simmons’ young fellow Australian Dante Exum:

Exum is another player who has a fascinating year ahead of him, but reminding ourselves of their connection only makes us think of one thing: The Australian national team might be scary at the 2020 Olympics.