In Vegas, The Sixers See the Value of Winning the Draft Lottery

Ben Simmons is obviously highly touted. That’s not to say Brandon Ingram isn’t, but it’s very clear who will have faster NBA success, if you watched the two square off last night. Ben Simmons is an athletic monster, a player who can impose his will on an opposing player on both ends, from day one. Ingram is a very nice jump shooter who needs to get considerably stronger and learn a few things. This match-up was a mismatch.

I’m not trying to say that Ingram won’t be a fine player, but last night he ran into a defense that wanted to body him, and did. Jerami Grant and Ben Simmons took him on, and did not allow him the kinds of looks that will play up his smooth shooting game. He did get a little bit hot late in the game, which got him to seven points, but if he shoots 25% this season in games, it will be a long season for him.

Ben Simmons wasn’t perfect- he does not want to shoot the basketball, even when the shot is open- but he was really good. His eight points won’t light up a stat sheet, but his ten rebounds and eight assists suggest a player who will immediately contribute in the NBA. His passes are a work of art, and his defense will immediately translate as plus. Other than not wanting to/not being good at shooting the basketball, Simmons is already the real deal. I can think of just one “point-forward” I’ve ever seen who’s more talented, and he just won his third NBA championship. Simmons just has to fix his shot to achieve greatness.

Here’s the good news for Sixers fans- they won the draft lottery this year. Simmons will be a better contributor early on than Ingram. If he learns to shoot, he will be better than almost everyone for the long haul, but he will be able to contribute positively every night for the 2016–2017 Sixers. He gave me good reason to hope this team improves 10–15 games this season, if not more. If the Sixers had lost the lottery to the Lakers, I don’t doubt that Ingram can become a very good player, given time, but the Sixers would not be much better than the ten win team they were in 2015–2016, in the short term.