Who is Ben Simmons?
Not a rookie to The Rookie, this is Ben Simmons.
Benjamin David Simmons is an Australian born NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers. Only in his official 3rd season in the NBA, Simmons has proved that he is the face of the 76ers. Being so young and already having so much impact in the league, he is on his way to becoming one of the greatest players to play the game.
One and done for Simmons in the NCAA, he attended Louisiana State University with his first debut game in 2015. Although the Tigers did not make the NCAA tournament his first year, Simmons finished the season by being awarded the All-Southeastern Conference and Freshman of the Year. Simmons then withdrew from the university after the season and declared his name for the 2016 NBA Draft.
What a dream! Ben Simmons was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the first pick in the 2016 draft. Shortly after came the NBA summer league where rookies get a first feel to what playing in the NBA feels like, but Simmons wasn’t prepared for what was to come next.
During training camp in September of 2016, Simmons injured his right ankle which was then diagnosed as a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone of his right foot. It was later announced that he would be sitting out the rest of the season. But this was only what they say a minor setback for a major comeback.
It was time for the league to meet Ben Simmons in the 2017–2018 season! That first season he averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals during the regular season. He also had 12 triple-doubles, second to ever do it in a rookie season.
It was now time for talks about who was going to be Rookie of the Year. Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz were the obvious competitors for the award that season. Things got a little crazy between the two players during this time.
Donovan Mitchell, who was then the new star rookie for the Utah Jazz was feeling as if Ben Simmons wasn’t even a competitor since he was technically injured his first season. As you can see, Mitchell took it upon himself to show the world how he felt. “If his argument is that I’m not a rookie, if that’s the only argument he has, I’m in pretty good shape,” Simmons said in April.
But Ben only has the trophy case to point to because he did end up winning Rookie of the Year for the 2018 NBA season.
The 2019 Season has also been another great season for Simmons. Simmons averaged 13.7 points, 8.0 assists, 10.4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3.7 turnovers per game in October. His stats drastically improved in December by averaging 17.3 points, 7.8 assists, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 3.2 turnovers per game.
Because of these stats, Simmons earned himself a spot in the 2019 NBA All-Star game, the first ever Australian player to be picked. “It’s been a while since I had a moment where I felt that I deserved it in terms of not just being an All-Star but solidifying myself in the league and letting people know I’m here.” Simmons told The Undefeated.
Now it is the postseason and the 76ers are up 3–1 as of today, April 23rd, in their series with the Brooklyn Nets. If they win today they will move on to play another series against the Toronto Raptors. With having a team with Simmons, Embiid, and Butler in the lineup, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to have a spot and win the Eastern Conference final.
