Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons is one of the unique and versatile stars in the NBA. He stands 6-foot-10. He is one of the top players in the league, and he is a threat to go for a triple-double every night. On top of that, he is one of the best defenders in the league.
Simmons made the All-Defensive First Team for the 2019-20 season for his excellent work on that end of the floor, and he has continued that in the 2020-21 season. He did a terrific job against New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett in the second game of the season and his work against Toronto Raptors stars Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam was important in Tuesday’s win.
So the question becomes what goes into Simmons’ preparation?
“You got to know personnel,” said Simmons. “For me, when I go into a game I look at who I’m guarding, how they like to score, how they’re effective for their team, and try to minimize that. I’m not sure what Siakam shot. I think it was 8-for-20 something, 23. I’m just making it tough on him. He’s a good player, so it’s gonna make it tougher, because I know typically I’m going to be guarding the best players.”
Siakam shot 8-for-23 to be precise. Simmons led a tough Sixers defensive effort against the All-Star power forward and it was a major factor why Philadelphia came away with a big win.
In order to become an elite defender in this league, one has to be able to study film and really become a student of the game. Having an idea of where a guy is going to go definitely helps when it comes to staying in front of a guy and putting a stop to his game.
“Just being in the league and knowing guys tendencies helps a lot,” he finished. “Just playing to that, trying to be a step ahead.”
The Sixers will face the Orlando Magic on New Year’s Eve to close the 2020 portion of their schedule.
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