Upon entering the league, Ben Simmons was seen as a potential superstar, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to draft him first. Sure enough, he clinched the Rookie of the Year award and later secured multiple All-Star nods.
Early on, Simmons drew comparisons to legends like Magic Johnson and LeBron James due to his all-around skills. But as time went on, these comparisons faded, leading to a different perception about his style and role.
As views around Simmons shift, Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie shares a compelling insight. Rather than comparing his teammate to Magic or LeBron, Dinwiddie places Simmons closer to Golden State Warriors defensive anchor Draymond Green.
“Ben at his best form is a far more athletic Draymond Green with less three-point shooting… When you talk about the defensive IQ, reading passing lanes, quarterbacking a defense, able to guard one through five. He’s one of the only people in the league who can do that, and then obviously he’s getting out on that break.
He’s never been fortunate enough to play with Steph and Klay obviously, so I think if he was in that type of environment you would see those same kind of triple-doubles, accolades, things like that.”
Spencer Dinwiddie offers high praise for Ben Simmons, calling him a “more athletic Draymond Green” at his best:
“Ben at his best form is a far more athletic Draymond Green with less three-point shooting… When you talk about the defensive IQ, reading passing lanes,… pic.twitter.com/JwfZiDmFyW
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) September 27, 2023