Written by Taylor Odenat
Phenom prospects who display the extraordinary skill and talent to drastically alter the fate of a franchise don’t come around often. Over the last few years we’ve seen players drafted who exhibit the potential to drastically influence the future of an NBA team. In the last few NBA Drafts, players such as Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and Andrew Wiggins have all been lottery selections. Anthony Davis is a once in a generation player at his position, Damian Lillard is an All Star and clutch playoff performer, and Andrew Wiggins heads a young Minnesota squad with loads of potential moving forward. In June of 2016, LSU forward Ben Simmons potentially could be an addition to this list if he continues dazzling the eyes of basketball fans, announcers, and coaches everywhere.
Ben Simmons was born out of Melbourne, Australia and has been publicized for years as the No.1 overall prospect out of the 2015 recruiting class. Scouts foresee stardom in this young forward, as he delivers to the court several skills that not many players are adept in. His basketball IQ and court awareness are high on the list of abilities that he possesses that make basketball fans drool at the sight of him play. Many have gone as a far as to compare the Aussie to that of Lebron James, where both contain elite vision and superb knowledge of the game; Mike Greenberg of Mike and Mike being one them. He stated on the radio and television show that he believes “this kid is going to be the Next Lebron.” While some may believe this to be somewhat of a stretch, the remark was not outrageously far-fetched.
Lebron James is obviously a player of great stature so it’s not to say Simmons is directly comparable to James. However, in play style the two do share similarities in their abilities to be cognizant of the players around them as well as their uber athleticism. Both players defend efficiently, rebound effortlessly, and run the fast break with ease and at their own pace. Neither has a set position, because regardless of where they play on the court they’ll be productive. Their passing, shooting, and defending capabilities all allow them to lineup from the point guard to center position. Once he is drafted, Simmons will eventually make his own name for himself, but until that day arrives the Lebron comparisons will be relentless.
Journalists with widespread clout, and online publications with credibility around the world are comparing this forward to the likes of greats such as Lebron James, as previously mentioned, and Lamar Odom. With such evident notoriety so early in his career, Simmons seems destined for long term production. Granted, Simmons has only played 4 games for LSU thus far. However, in those few games Simmons has averaged 19.3 points to go along with 14.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists topped off by a super efficient 57 % from the field. Recently, Simmons was even able to hold his own against another top ranked freshman, 6’10 post-player Henry Ellenson, in a loss to Marquette where he dropped a near triple double finishing with 21 points, 20 rebounds and 7 assists.
Along with his on court superstar potential, Simmons may possibly revise the landscape of the college picking process for a high school senior. Simmons chose LSU, a college not known for pushing out All Stars and NBA Champions. He bypassed the powerhouses of Kentucky, Duke, and UNC, to join forces with a university that hasn’t seen one of their players drafted in the lottery since Anthony Randolph was selected in the 2008 NBA Draft; who then produced rather lackluster tenures around the league. By electing to attend LSU, he showed future aspiring athletes that going to a lesser known school or a school not known for NCAA postseason success might be a better situation for them. Attending a school such as LSU puts the spotlight on the high ranked individual; in this case Ben Simmons. Whereas attending a college with the championship pedigree of Kentucky, there are a ton of players with hordes of potential all trying to get minutes. He may set a precedent that if you want to shine individually to NBA scouts and fans, then go to the college who hasn’t seen the NCAA tournament in a few years, rather than the program whose there year after year, with players struggling for consistent minutes.
Simmons has superstar potential with the metaphorical strength to cause a franchise to tank their season in the hopes of selecting him. Ben is an elite athlete with extreme versatility and quickness, controlled pace, exceptional defense, high rebounding and passing IQ, and a consistent lefty stroke; when he actually decides to take a jump shot. He is the next best thing and the talk of this Australian is guaranteed to be nonstop until he puts pen to paper on his first rookie contract. 
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