The Philadelphia 76ers have owned the number 1 pick a few times in their history. The best number 1 pick in the history of the franchise is Allen Iverson who was ranked as the 13th best number 1 pick in the history of the NBA. However, there is another Philadelphia number 1 pick who is ranked highly on the list.
As The Athletic continues their Power Rankings of the best number 1 picks in NBA history, Ben Simmons comes in at number 22 on the list despite his jump shot criticisms. That is because he does everything else at an elite level.
The book on Simmons:
Accolades: Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie, All-Star (2x)
A lot of this is projecting a relatively injury-free existence for Simmons and a decent trajectory of growth for the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star. But let’s say there’s a scenario in which Simmons doesn’t get any better than he currently is at 23. Let’s say he maintains this level of play for a decade before he begins to decline around 33. That means we’re going to get around 10 All-Star Games, at least a half dozen All-Defensive Team selections, and career totals of around/at least 16,000 points, 8,000 assists, and 8,000 rebounds. Only LeBron James and Jason Kidd have those three thresholds for points, assists and rebounds. That’s not to say that’s all that matters, but we’re looking at an elite, historic club to be in. On top of that, he may have some decent playoff success to throw on top of this. Maybe he wins a Defensive Player of the Year or two. That’s an absurd career, even if it comes with just 20 career 3-point makes.
The jump shot thing is definitely a concern, but at the end of the day, he brings an elite level of play night in and night out. A lot of people need to realize what he brings to the table and appreciate him for the basketball player that he is. [lawrence-related id=31484,31413,31406]