Everybody has their opinion on the Philadelphia 76ers. Some believe Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid cannot play together, which is a little bit of an overreaction, but everybody can come to an agreement that they are two of the best in the game.
With it being the All-Star break, it is that time to rank the players in the league so far up to this point. Simmons has had a helluva season continuing to stuff the box score every night and morphing into one of the elite defensive players in the league.
The Ringer came out with a ranking of the top players in the league and the Sixers All-Star point guard came in ranked 13th in the NBA.
They wrote:
There was a moment in Philadelphia’s mid-February win against the Clippers when everything surrounding Simmons seemed to crystalize. With the lion’s share of eyes focused on his outspoken teammate Joel Embiid, Simmons showed his true value. While Embiid sat, the Sixers offense came alive. Passing was crisp, movement was fluid, and the pace was breakneck. And it all came out of the 23-year-old Aussie. At his best, Simmons is one of the top two-way players in the game, mixing incredible driving and finishing ability with smothering defense and impressive size and athleticism. Philly’s versatile wunderkind is the skeleton key to the Eastern Conference. If things are clicking, there’s no telling how far the 76ers will go this summer. There might not be a more frightful sight for defenders since Peak LeBron than Simmons this season. Call him a coward if you want; he doesn’t need to shoot 3s to beat his man.
To their point, Simmons does not necessarily need a 3-point shot to beat anybody off the dribble and get the points that he needs, but it sure would help the offense.
On the flip side, there is no denying that he is one of the top players in the league. He impacts the game in every way possible and he really is coming into his own as a player. [lawrence-related id=26025,26017,25998]