Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons is making a move from point guard to off the ball as the team’s new power forward as he will try to help the offense a bit more dynamic. The move is to try and make the Sixers a much faster team by taking advantage of Simmons’ speed and versatility from that spot.
So far in two scrimmage games in Orlando, the results have been encouraging. Simmons has been a bulldozer getting to the rim using his body and athleticism to finish around the rim and he is now adding a 3-point shot to his arsenal as well. Already one of the top players in the league, that makes him even more dangerous and scary for opponents to try and stop.
After a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday where he once again made it look easy, big man Al Horford issued a warning to the rest of the NBA who try and defend Simmons.
“Ben is just being Ben,” said Horford. “He just sets the tone for us. It’s like ‘good luck’ getting in front of him, trying to contain him, or stop him in transition. He’s such a big body, so fast, explosive. He just knows how to play. He has a really good feel for the game.”
Simmons finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists on Sunday. He got to the foul line seven times and he made it all look pretty easy on the offensive end as no matter who the Thunder tried to throw at him, they did not have much luck.
With his move to the 4, one can wonder where that leaves Horford, but he is not too worried about the move. Mostly because Simmons is n elite passer and they can still run pick-and-roll sets at that spot.
“Honestly, I don’t see much of a difference,” the veteran stated. “The way that we want to do things, we want to get out in transition. When we get out in transition, we’re giving the ball to Ben and letting him kind of dictate and make plays. Then, in the half-court, I can still go and set a pick-and-roll for him, and we did that a few times today (Sunday), and kind of play out of that. So, it’s not much different.”
While Simmons is at the 4, he will still have the ball in his hands which means he is still going to attack the basket with aggression. If that aforementioned 3-point shot does become a real thing, then the Sixers will be in a much better spot than before and that means trouble for the rest of the league. [lawrence-related id=35572,35562,35553]