What makes a great defender? Well, it can be quite simple sometimes. All a player has to do is lock up some of the best scorers the game has ever seen in the best basketball league in the world. Easier said than done.
In the case of Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons, he has just done that.
Simmons has had to be matched up with some of the game’s best players. His top matchups according to NBA Stats have been All-Star players such as Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, and Pascal Siakam. He has held those three players to a combined 20-for-57 shooting. He also held LeBron James to 2-for-9 shooting in their one matchup in January.
In fact, Simmons has spent the most time in the league defending All-Star players at 15.9%.
Percentage of time matched up defensively spent guarding All-NBA players:
Ben Simmons: 15.9%
Jrue Holiday: 15.2%
Patrick Beverley: 12.7%
Bam Adebayo: 8.7%
Marcus Smart: 8.6%
Rudy Gobert: 7.8%
Anthony Davis: 7.0%
Jonathan Isaac: 6.5%
Brook Lopez: 6.3%
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 5.2% https://t.co/tCDfXmDdrJ— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) June 4, 2020
In fact, despite missing so many games heading into the league suspension due to a back issue, Simmons is still leading the league in steals per game at 2.1 and he leads the league in total steals at 115. His ability to get into the passing lanes and destroy offenses is so impressive and that has saved the Sixers in some games.
When considering that Simmons is also defending players such as James, Beal, Butler, Tatum, Siakam, and he has also spent time against Khris Middleton, all of that makes his degree of difficulty every night that much higher. He is regularly charged with stopping those elite scorers night in and night out.
Overall matchup degree of difficulty percentile:
Ben Simmons: 99.9%; #1 Overall
Jrue Holiday: 96.3%
Marcus Smart: 91.4%
Patrick Beverley: 89.1%
Jonathan Isaac: 82.1%
Bam Adebayo: 78.9%
Anthony Davis: 72.9%
Rudy Gobert: 72.7%
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 69.0%
Brook Lopez: 55.6%— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) June 4, 2020
Simmons has done everything asked of a great defender. He is a guy who can get in the passing lanes at a high level and he takes on the opponent’s top scorer and he is locking down All-Star players. The minute Simmons steps up and has to defend one of these guys, itis a wrap for that player for the night. That is what makes a good defender and he should be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year once the league wraps up the 2019-20 season in the “bubble site” in Orlando. [lawrence-related id=33295,33288,33278]