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The Philadelphia 76ers are a talented group led by a very talented point guard in All-Star Ben Simmons. The 6-foot-10 point guard has shown a very impressive blend of scoring, distribution, rebounding, and defense and his play has the Sixers in position to contend for a title in the 2019-20 season.
One of the Sixers franchise legends, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, had some high praise for the young point guard as he has been impressed with his game.
Erving stated at the team’s Crossover art exhibit on Tuesday night:
I think Ben’s proven himself, he’s an All-Star now and he has lofty goals. I think it’s always a juggling act between individual excellence and winning the championship and I think after a few years in the league and seeing the celebration of others win the championship, you want the championship, whatever it takes.
Erving knows a thing or two of coming up short multiple times in his quest to win a championship. The Sixers reached the NBA Finals in both 1980 and 1982 and fell short both times before they finally broke through in 1983 with Philadelphia. Simmons and the current Sixers can take the same path and use their past failures to fuel them on this current run.
Erving also added on Simmons:
Sometimes that means sacrificing in some way. In his case, he probably doesn’t really have to sacrifice anything, he’s very adequate defensively, and he’s a guy you want to have the ball in his hands. The lack of shooting, long range jump shots, medium range jump shots, that might or might not happen, but his impact on the game, we’ve already seen examples of the impact that he can have.
Simmons has received criticism for his lack of a jumper and his reluctance to take a shot, but his impact on the floor in other areas really can make up for that hole in his game. In the end, he will eventually have to shoot a jumper for the Sixers to succeed, but right now he is in a good spot for the team and as an individual. [lawrence-related id=19630,19605,19597]