The Philadelphia 76ers may have struck gold in more ways than one with rookie Ben Simmons running the show
Who are the top five point guards in the Eastern Conference today? We can put John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, and Kyle Lowry on the list. While there are others like Kemba Walker, Goran Dragic and D’Angelo Russell that deserve in the conversation, only a few have that special “it” that Ben Simmons has.
Nowadays, point guards are not what they used to be. Isiah Thomas from the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boy” era was a facilitator. The same can be said for Magic Johnson, John Stockton, and Gary Payton. But now, it’s all about who can score from the point position instead of who can set their teammates up to score from the position.
In the East, there are only two points guards who come to mind when I think facilitator – Wall and Simmons. While Kyrie has the handles, Kemba has the range and Thomas has the heart, it’s players like Wall and Simmons who make their teammates better. Wall can score at will. He averages 22 points per game but also collects over 10 assists as well. Simmons, while new to the league, has put up averages of 16 points and eight assists per.
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Another thing that sets Simmons apart from the likes of Lowry, Irving, and Thomas is his ability to hit the boards. Simmons has pulled down nine rebounds a game this season while the next closest to him on this list is Lowry with six. What Simmons is doing on the glass is Russell Westbrook-like, and foreign in today’s game from the lead-guard position.
The two areas where critics say Simmons must improve is the one area where if he does, he will become the best in the conference in everyone’s eyes – his 3-point and free throw shooting.
For the season, Simmons has only taken four shots from beyond the arc. It’s one thing to think you know the limitations of your game but Simmons understands how not to hurt his team.
Every player has their flaws
The players Simmons is currently linked with are all worthy of a spot on this list but only one (Wall) provides the versatility that Simmons does. When looking over the list, you have to ask yourself, what do you expect from a point guard?
Is it the scoring, defense, rebounding, leadership, and assists that makes a good point guard? If that’s the case, then why would any of the above-mentioned players be ahead of Simmons? Simmons takes only 14 shots per game but leads this list by hitting 53 percent of his attempts. As far as getting to the line, only Wall and Walker tops Simmons (6) with seven and eight attempts, respectively.
Factoring all the info in, Ben Simmons seems to be the top point guard in the East. Sure, there are areas he can improve on such as his free throw shooting but he takes smart shots and makes better decisions with the ball in his hands than most on this list.
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Lastly, look at the talent he’s playing with. A true measure of a point guard is to make everyone else around you better. Wall has Bradley Beal, Kemba has Dwight Howard, Irving has Al Horford and Lowry has DeMar DeRozan. Yes, Simmons does have Joel Embiid but these are newcomers to the league. Neither of them has been to the playoffs, let alone an NBA All-Star game.
Despite his poor free throw shooting, it’s Simmons I want to lead my team.