It can be hard for anybody in any situation to really step up and speak on something. For Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons. he is one of the more younger guys on the team at 23-years old, but he is also the team’s point guard which thrusts him into the leadership role on this team.
Due to this fact, Simmons has to be the guy who can be a leader for this team and he has to make sure his guys are in a position to succeed. To do that, he has to open his mouth and say something to take control. He has to let everybody know where to be and tell a guy where to go.
Simmons may even have to teach and that’s something that is hard to do at his age. For rookie Matisse Thybulle, that is something that stands out to him, personally.
“Off the floor, I think it’s pretty standard,” the rookie explained. “He and I are two guys who switch who we are guarding frequently and I think talking through that is something that he does really well, but I think more so off the floor is when teaching comes into play. When both of us are on the bench and we’re able to talk about a play that just happened that I could’ve done something better or something I might’ve been confused about. That’s where I feel like he’s able to do more teaching and I’m able to get more out of it.”
Simmons has also stepped up as a leader by example as well. He has been a guy who has been in the gym and lifting weights and leading the way for this team.
“Ben has really, I feel like, put in the time,” Al Horford added. “Just seeing him working hard on the floor, doing the stuff he needs to do in the treatment room, and getting out to the weight room, that just speaks to his commitment…I look forward once we are able to start practice and getting to talk, because the better communication that we all have and we’re all on the same page, we’re going to be better. That’s something I look forward to for us to get back going.”
Considering this is his first season playing with him, Horford is still learning that Simmons can do a lot of things on the floor. Not only vocally, but as a silent leader as well. The guy just gets it and understands how to play basketball.
“I think with Ben, he just has a really good feel for the game,” Horford continued with. “Sometimes, you don’t even have to talk with him, because he has a way of on the floor finding you and it’s like you’re sprinting down the floor and you don’t think he’s looking, this something I had to learn as the season went on, and he’s able to find you or he’s able to make the right play, or he’s already looking way ahead of what we’re all looking. I think he is becoming more vocal, but I just think his pure ability to find people and know those things is a big strength of his.”
A more vocal and physical Simmons will make such a big difference in the playoffs. He is the leader for this team and that is where the big difference will come in for them in having that guy who can lead them out of tough situations in the playoffs. [lawrence-related id=33980,33972,33962]