Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is one of the more talented players in the NBA right now. He can do so many different things on the basketball court such as play multiple positions, play great defense, he can finish, and he does it all at an elite level.
At times, he gets compared to LeBron James who is one of the best players in NBA history. James has a similar skill set and he has a similar work ethic that makes the comparison viable.
The team’s newest addition, Dwight Howard, played with James in the 2019-20 season and he has had plenty of battle with James in the past. When he was asked about the Simmons-James comparisons, he says they are very real.
“It’s a very real comparison and I’ve been seeing this for a couple years,” said Howard on Wednesday. “Ben Simmons is a young LeBron who’s developing an overall game. I love the way he plays, I love how unselfish he is, and how mean he can be to other teams and that’s important. When you have your point guard coming down, dunking on people, flexing, getting big rebounds, talking trash, doing all those things, it drives you to want to be better.”
Sure, Simmons does not have the jump shot just yet that James has developed over time, but that is an aspect of his game that will continue to be developed. Having played with James, Howard is now here to help Simmons take that next step and give him some wisdom along the way.
“Watching him over the years, I see it,” Howard added. “He has an opportunity to be one of the greatest to ever play the game and I’m glad I have the opportunity to actually give him some things that can help him along the way.”
It remains to be seen, but Simmons does have the opportunity to truly become one of the top players the game has ever seen. The big “if” is the jump shot and it is something that should be added to his arsenal over time. [lawrence-related id=39493,39490,39486]