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NBA: 10 early observations of the 2017-18 season

By Evan Dyal

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 20: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on October 20, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 20: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on October 20, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 20: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on October 20, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 20: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on October 20, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

10 observations from the first few days of the 2017-18 NBA regular season

The 2017-18 NBA season is officially over one week old. There have been some bummers, like Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Lin getting lost for the season due to injury, but mostly there has been tons of excitement.

There also have been lots of surprises, for a season that most people thought would be predictable. New players have emerged, the Warriors have lost two games, and Eric Bledsoe demanded a trade after three games.

Phoenix is just a disaster; then again that’s not a surprise. It’s still early, and things will naturally change, but here are 10 observations from the first week of the season and something to keep an eye on going forward.

Ben Simmons is the real deal

The first overall the pick of the 2016 NBA draft is finally playing and showing he was worth the hype. After missing all of his rookie season with a foot injury, Simmons is looking like a veteran in his first five games. Simmons is ahead of the curve. In Philadelphia’s first win of the season at Detroit, Simmons posted his first triple-double. Simmons had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Again this was his fourth NBA game. He still can’t shoot, but it almost doesn’t matter. When defenders play off him, he just surveys the floor for open cutters and shooters. If no one is open, he will only get ahead of steam and rumble to the basket.

He already has an NBA body, and he can finish at the rim. For the season Simmons is averaging 16.4 points, 10 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. His PER is 19.20, and his true shooting percentage is 50.4, both above average, and very impressive marks for a rookie. He is only going to continue to get better. The concerns are his free throw shooting and turnovers. Simmons is just shooting 57% from the stripe, and his turnover ratio is 11.9. With the amount of time he has the ball in his hand, the turnovers are understandable, but still, need to be improved on. As for free throw shooting, that is a concern, and he needs to at least get to 70%.

According to Synergy Sports, Simmons ranks average on defense. That may not sound impressive, but most rookies are disasters on defense. The pros certainly outweigh the cons. His vision, in particular, is incredible. He is making LeBron level passes as a rookie. Watch this pass.

Very few players have this vision and ability. Big time stuff from Simmons.

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