Ben Simmons is a tall point guard whose court vision and passing abilities are off the charts. He rebounds, he ferociously defends multiple positions, and despite the fact that he is not a good shooter, he is still capable of being a dangerous scorer. Unsurprisingly, ever since Simmons was in high school, all of that has led to him getting compared to a young LeBron James.
It’s not a fair comparison for him, just like comparing a young James to Michael Jordan was unfair, because using an all-time great as a measuring stick for someone trying to gain their footing in the league puts a whole lot of pressure on them. That is, unless, they’re able to back up the hype with results, which we’ve seen out of Simmons during his rookie year.
Simmons has been especially awesome in the postseason, averaging 18.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, nine assists, and 2.4 steals per game in Philadelphia’s series victory over the Miami Heat. For Dwyane Wade, who knows a little something about James, he can’t help but see the similarities between Simmons and “that guy in Cleveland.”
Dwyane Wade on Ben Simmons: "I don't think he had a bad game. A young player like that in his first playoffs… It's like that guy in Cleveland doesn't have bad games. The imprint they put on the game, it's more than scoring. He does so much. The sky is the limit." pic.twitter.com/eSqpHyr4yk
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 25, 2018
Anyone can compare Simmons to James, but for someone like Wade — who has played with and against James and just watched Simmons turn heads against the Heat — to drop that comparison says a lot. It’s going to take a while before we learn if Simmons’ career ends up being similar to that of James, but his first act has gone about as well as he could have planned.
