Two hundred and thirty-four. After 234 days since his last game with the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons was finally traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal involving James Harden, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and multiple picks.
While there have been many polarizing views on the trade, especially regarding Simmons' fit with the Nets, I find myself on the optimistic side of things. While Ben was a net negative factor in the context of Philly's 2021 postseason run, with an adjusted role and playing next to other primary creators, Simmons could be in for a primed role on a Brooklyn team with championship aspirations.
A New Position
On a 76ers team that never had any initiator or competent offensive coach, Simmons was forced into the role of primary ball-handler and creator despite it never being a natural fit. While the latter might not change, Ben definitely won't have to be the initiator of an offense anymore playing next to 2 elite, top 15 playmakers in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Instead, he'll be able to play the 4/5, which many analysts (such as JJ Reddick) have long believed to be the best fit for Simmons' playstyle and skillset. While his lack of aggression and scoring versatility hinders his abilities as a guard/wing on offense, untapped potential as a screener/roller, short roll passer, and mid-post hub could enable him to succeed in a Bam Adebayo/Domantas Sabonis like role.
Screener/Roll Man
Simmons hasn't yet proven to be an efficient roll man in the NBA. He's scored just 1.03 PPP as a roller his past 3 seasons, which would rank around the 35th percentile this season. However, that's been on an extremely small sample and frequency, with Coach Brett and Doc never really scheming him as a PnR roll man in their offense.
He's shown the potential of great rolling as a Big in non-Embiid minutes, particularly in a game against the Jazz in 2021 when Joel was out entirely. And with his size and strength, athleticism, and finishing ability, there's no glaringly obvious reason why Ben couldn't be a good roll man with added reps and experience. So if Nash recognizes these flashes in Simmons' game and chooses to implement him as a screener in their offense, the upside could be incredibly valuable. Especially playing next to a creator like Kyrie, who pressures the defense and capitalizes on advantages much more than a Seth Curry or Tobias Harris.
Simmons also projects to be an elite short roll passer. He may not be someone who bends and warps defenses to create open looks, but he's great on the fly at quickly recognizing openings and passing to them. His decision matrix may be inapt as a primary, but a lot of that could be overcome as a roll man with limited initiation duties. This short roll value alongside his finishing does indicate untapped potential as a screener and roller.
Handoffs/Mid-Post
This is where Ben could replicate Bam, Sabonis, and even Draymond on offense. Flowing into handoffs with sharpshooters like Kyrie, Seth, Patty, and Harris while also having the ability to run actions through passing is reminiscent of Bam's role with the Miami Heat. Both of them aren't capable of primary creation with their lack of perimeter skill, versatility, and dexterity: yet they still have great passing for a big.
So while Bam may not be able to initiate consistent halfcourt offense, his passing is instead utilized through dribble handoffs and set actions where he passes to a cutter or flaring/relocating shooter. This is apparent in his synergy with Duncan, and Simmons could recreate it with Brooklyn's many talented scorers.
Simmons can also be used as a hub in the mid-post, where he can take advantage of mismatches when aggressive and make passes many other bigs aren't capable of. And all this isn't to say that he's an incredible, top 20 passer or anything, but there has to be some merit to how many 3s Simmons has assisted on throughout his career. It is unquestionably valuable in the proper context.
Defensive Value
Simmons isn't a good post defender nor an outstanding rim protector. I do not deny that, and I'll dive into it later when discussing his defensive limitations. Nonetheless, regardless of whether he plays PF or not, he's going to instantly improve the Nets' subpar defense simply because he's replacing a 32-year-old Blake Griffin. Beyond that, Simmons is also going to fit in seamlessly with Nash's switch everything scheme on defense as someone who can comfortably guard 1-4 and is arguably the best perimeter defender in basketball.
Brooklyn currently switches on 30% of their ball-screens (per Second Spectrum) which ranks 6th in the NBA yet isn't nearly as high as the 41% rate they switched at last season. That's an absurd rate to switch at, and they only leaned on them even more during the playoffs. Simmons' versatility on the perimeter will definitely make the Nets' defense stronger in this aspect, even though he's not the best at fighting through screens.
A projected lineup of Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry/Patty Mills, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Nicolas Claxton should be great defensively with Nash's scheme; whether or not that makes up for the offensive talent they lost in James Harden is a different debate altogether (probably not).
Small Ball 5?
Experimenting with small ball Ben at Center is, at the very least, intriguing. As aforementioned, Simmons isn't very good at defending inside the paint, so it could be problematic. Though the fact that he was never utilized as a rim protector makes using stats like Blocks and Rim FG% flawed, he doesn't seem to have the needed technique, awareness, and nuance contesting at the rim that's necessary for a center.
And while he's strong when compared to other guards or forwards, he's average at best when put next to other bigs. So these would definitely be valid concerns when considering Ben Simmons at the 5. However, there are also reasons as to why it could work in favor of Brooklyn.
For one, Blake Griffin (who's much worse than Ben defensively) played a lot of small ball in the 2021 playoffs, and the Nets were fine. That's mainly due to KD's adaptability as a rim protector when needed. In last year's postseason, Durant averaged 1.6 Blocks, 5.2 Rim Contests, and held opponents to 11.0% worse shooting at the rim.
Secondly, one-on-one paint defense isn't the only way to die by. There are ways to help a weak KD-Simmons frontcourt post defense, and Brooklyn has the necessary defenders to do so and recover in a given possession.
Thirdly, a Kyrie-Seth/Patty-Harris-KD-Simmons lineup wouldn't be the full-time starting 5 whatsoever. It'd just be utilized for small stretches in the right scenarios when it'd prove useful. And while that 5-man unit wouldn't be as great defensively, the offensive output it'd hypothetically produce would more than makeup for it. Because, to put it simply, Claxton and Drummond aren't the most valuable offensive players. And lastly, all this is IF Steven Nash were to experiment with Ben Simmons as a Center.
But given one of the reasons Harden wanted out of Brooklyn is Nash's flexible and fluctuating closing rotations, I'd bet on him trying it out. And it might just succeed.
Overview
Overall, I like the idea of Ben Simmons' change of scenery with Brooklyn. Not as much for the Nets: their loss of offensive value through James Harden will hurt them a lot. But rather for Ben himself.
He's had issues with mental health because of the 76ers fanbase (and Philadelphia as a whole), and you can't really question it. The only people who can are him and people he's close with; outsiders debating his mindset is the reason athletes are afraid to come forward with struggles in the first place. And there definitely is reason to believe the toxic Philly fanbase he's had to deal with for half a decade has affected him significantly.
In Brooklyn, Simmons gets a fresh start in a new environment playing next to other creators and historical floor spacing. With a potentially rejuvenated offensive role that'd maximize his strengths and mitigate his weaknesses, along with a system that fits his defensive success, he has a clear pathway to success and a team that has welcomed him with open arms. The Nets may not have won the trade, nor might Simmons be all-star caliber. But there's no denying that the Nets are still contenders with him and Seth, and that Ben has a chance to flourish alongside 7/11 in Brooklyn, New York.
Image credits: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Amazing !!