Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons is one of the more unique players in the league. He is considered a star by many, but some don’t truly understand the value he brings to a team on an every-night basis.
One of his elite skills is defending. Simmons has taken off on some of the toughest challenges in the league as he has defended the likes of James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Gordon Hayward and he has done a good job of holding them below their averages.
After a matchup with Lillard on Thursday, Simmons claimed that he is the best defender in the NBA. As the team gets set for Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, coach Doc Rivers had a glowing review of Simmons.
“He is such a unique defender,” said Rivers. “Most of the great defenders guard their position and they do a great job there. Ben is a chameleon. Ben guards literally 1 through 5 and we’re not scared to put him on 1 through 5 on needed possessions.”
When asked if he could find a comparison for Simmons, Rivers had to think, but he named two the better defenders in the history of the game: Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen.
“Dennis Rodman is crazy in a defensive way, as a player, they’re completely different players, but Dennis would often guard 1 through 5,” Rivers stated. “They would just throw him on whoever had it going so I guess you can go that far back. Scottie Pippen is in that category as well so there’s very few people. I’m happy that people finally started to notice it. That’s nice to hear.”
Doc Rivers compared Ben Simmons to Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen defensively. He called Simmons a "chameleon" for his ability to guard all five positions.
Simmons, who was All-Defensive First Team last season, recently said, "I feel like I'm the best defender in the NBA." pic.twitter.com/UIXznBc3it
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) February 13, 2021
Simmons is having a terrific season on the defensive end and if he can keep it up, he will have the Sixers in a position to succeed when the time comes around.
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