Sixers

Bill Simmons Loves Ben Simmons

By Kyle Scott

Published: Nov 3rd, 2017 · 12:25 PM EDT

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I’m just going to whisper this really low about Bill Simmons: Though I am obviously not ready to write-off Markelle Fultz, Simmons was right in saying that there were red flags. Perhaps that phrase is a bit more alarmist than it needs to be, but there was certainly something to his concern.

With that said, I’ll choose to go ALL-IN on his recent fellating of Ben Simmons:

Believe me, I’m treading carefully since it’s been only 17 days, he can’t really shoot, we don’t know if Simmons can play 35 straight games (much less 82)—and by the way, I’ve been waiting for an NBA All-Star named “Simmons” for my entire freaking life. But Young BS passed three We-Might-Have-A-Gem checkpoints already …

1. Does his game make way more sense in the pros than college? (Absolutely.)

2. Is he one of those feed-off-everyone-else playmakers who becomes noticeably better with better teammates who understand what he’s doing? (Good God, yes).

3. Could you call him either a unicorn or an evolutionary version of someone who already worked? (Hell yes: He’s young Lamar Odom, but better.)

That tastes good.

I don’t know enough about young Lamar Odom to opine on that – I’d think Simmons’ point guard abilities add an entirely different dimension (which Simmons acknowledged) – but obviously the Ben Simmons love is not just coming from the Process folks.