High School Phenom Ben Simmons Shines for Montverde Academy
By Andrew Ford
Photo:
Freshmen phenoms destined to become lottery picks in the 2015 NBA Draft haven’t even had a chance to fully settle in on their respective campuses yet. Soon enough, though, those stars will depart and new stars will ascend from high school to the college stage. It’s an intense, never-ending cycle.
Much can change over the course of two years before current high school seniors can declare for the NBA draft, but Ben Simmons – one of the aforementioned high school stars ready to make the leap onto the college stage – is currently listed as the second overall pick in DraftExpress’s 2016 NBA Mock Draft. Recently, Montverde Academy (Simmons’ squad) faced off against Bishop O’Dowd on ESPN, and Simmons demonstrated why he is thought so highly of by talent evaluators at every level.
Simmons is listed as a power forward, but he primarily serves as a point forward for Montverde Academy. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound Australian native has uncanny grace with the ball in his hands for a player his size, and he uses his strength and fluidity to get to the rim with ease. Once at the rim, he has a knack for drawing contact and getting himself to the line. He was fouled at the rim multiple times on drives against Bishop O’Dowd, and he was able to finish through contact once for an and-one.
Aside from getting himself to the free throw line, Simmons is a mixed bag when it comes to scoring. He sometimes struggles to find a rhythm in the half-court offense, and he doesn’t assert himself like he should at times. He can go entire possessions without touching the ball, which is unacceptable for possibly the best player in the 2015 recruiting class.
Where Simmons feels most comfortable offensively is in the open court. His athleticism, long strides, and quickness make him an ever-present danger for opposing teams when he pushes the ball either off of a turnover or after grabbing a defensive rebound. Despite serving a large chunk of time as the primary ball-handler for Montverde Academy, Simmons is not great at breaking his man down off the dribble. He has an explosive first step, and he’s capable of blowing by his man and getting to the rim in a straight line with regularity. However, when a defender is able to match his first step, his lack of finesse moves and average handles make it difficult for him to create a good shot for himself. Simmons will likely improve as a ball-handler and a creator of offense for himself under the tutelage of one of the best high school coaches in the country in Kevin Boyle, then under Johnny Jones at LSU before presumably heading to the NBA.
Despite his current offensive flaws, Simmons is able to fill up the bucket by playing smart off the ball. He is able to set his defender up and get him leaning the wrong way right before he cuts to the basket to create an easy pass for a teammate and a wide-open slam for himself. Simmons excels at ducking into the paint at the right moment to receive a dump off pass from a teammate for a bucket, as he did multiple times in the game against Bishop O’Dowd. He didn’t have the opportunity to show it much during this game, but he possesses great touch around the rim and is capable of finishing with both hands. Once he develops more low post moves, he will be scary to guard on the block.
At this stage in Simmons development, his best skill might be his court vision. He dribbles with his head up, constantly scanning the floor for an open shooter or cutter. He’s not afraid to make the difficult pass, and he often succeeds in doing so. There are times when Simmons forces a pass, but that’s due to his confidence in his ability to make any pass on the floor. More often than not, Simmons is composed with the ball in his hands and makes the right read to set up a teammate for a shot. Once he becomes more skilled at creating offense for himself, defenses will key on him which will create even more opportunities for him to drop dimes.
Like all high school basketball players, Simmons is still a work in progress. Improvement in weak areas will come with time, practice, and repetition. At his current stage of development, Simmons already does enough positive things on the court to suggest that he is well on his way to becoming an NBA lottery pick in 2016.