Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons may not have been named the Defensive Player of the Year after a terrific defensive season, but he did get honored in another way for his defensive efforts on Tuesday.
Simmons was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his career. He is joined by DPOY winner Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marcus Smart, Rudy Gobert, and Anthony Davis and he is the first Sixer to make the All-Defensive First Team since Robert Covington in 2018.
Simmons had a terrific season on the defensive end as he consistently locked down some of the best players in this league such as Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and others. He led the league in steals at 2.1 per game as he was all over the floor on that end. Philadelphia really missed his presence in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics.
#Sixers’ Ben Simmons named to the first-team All-Defensive squad. pic.twitter.com/D5CS2DTteC
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) September 8, 2020
Simmons will have to now carry this type of defensive performance into next season and continue to be a leader on that end. He has truly become an elite defender in this league as he can close a game out on that end of the floor. [lawrence-related id=37513,37507,37503]