2017/18 is the first season that Ben Simmons has the opportunity to show off his skills on the NBA stage. The Australian point guard appeared in 81 matches for the Philadelphia 76ers (all starting positions), averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. Thanks to that, Simmons was honored by the NBA with the “Best Rookie of the Year” award.

Only 22 years old, Simmons possesses a remarkable set of skills: he can hold the ball excellently and send bright passes to his teammates, as evidenced by his 8.2 assists/match. Simmons plays in the number 1 position, but is 2.08 m tall, so he is strong enough to make penetrations, go to the basket strongly and even launch emotional dunks.

Watching the “Golden Boy” of Australian basketball thrive in the 2017/18 NBA, the basketball world believes that it is only a matter of time before Simmons becomes the new “king” of the tournament. As shared by LeBron James: “I am the king and Simmons is the prince. In a little while, Simmons will ascend the throne.”

Quit football to pursue basketball

Little Simmons was born on July 20, 1998 in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Simmons’ father, Dave, is an American national who played basketball at the University of Oklahoma, then devoted 13 seasons to the Melbourne Tigers Club in the NBL (Australian Professional Basketball League).

Under the guidance of Mr. Dave, Simmons started playing basketball at the age of 7. Afterwards, Simmons played both rugby and soccer. In Melbourne, Simmons is an outstanding talent for the Beverley Hills youth football team. Yarra Children’s Award, Simmons was voted best player. In 7th grade, Simmons helped Whitefriars win the “1A Championship” and he was awarded the MVP title.

In addition to basketball, Simmons is also good at soccer and rugby.

Mr. Dave recalled that his son played well in many sports, especially football. However, one day when the coach refused to let him play in his favorite position, Simmons resolutely said goodbye to “the ball”. At age 15, Simmons chose basketball as his final sport. His career began to blossom when he was invited to the “All-American” Training Camp in the US in 2012.

In the 2013/14 season, Simmons played for the Montverde High School basketball team. The young talent of Australian basketball averages 18.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists, has a 69% shooting success rate and 77% accuracy from the free throw line. Simmons helped Montverde finish the season with a 28-0 record and is considered by experts to be the best player at the high school level in America.

Next, Simmons moved to the University of LSU Tigers basketball team and continued to show excellent performance. In the 2015/16 season alone, Simmons played 33 games, leading in every parameter of the LSU Tigers: averaging 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2 steals and 0.8 blocks. After completing 3 years of college, Simmons participated in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Simmons’ achievements while playing for the LSU Tigers.

Here, coach Brett Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers decided to use the first draft for Simmons. Simmons is the first player who never played in the NCAA tournament, but was a first-round pick. Also attending the 2016 NBA Draft with Simmons are Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown – talents who are also shining in the NBA.

“His dream is to play in the NBA. Simmons did not have an easy time, having to constantly move places of residence since he was a child. However, the important thing is that Simmons has reached the highest level of world basketball,” Mr. Dave Simmons emotionally shared at the time Ben Simmons was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Collapsed at the happiest moment

The rookie season in the NBA is always memorable for any player. But bad luck came to Simmons when the Australian talent was suddenly injured during a Philadelphia 76ers practice session. Test results clearly showed that Simmons had a broken jaw and right foot and was expected to rest for 3-4 months.

“It’s terrible to be injured at this time, hopefully everything will be okay,” Simmons worried when having problems when the 2016/17 NBA was about to start. On February 24, 2017, the second shock came to Simmons when the Philadelphia 76ers medical team announced that he had to miss the entire season. Specifically, Simmons’s foot bone has not yet fully healed, so the club does not dare to take risks.

The injury caused Simmons to miss nearly a year.

Coach Brett Brown reassured: “Don’t worry too much, he is a brave person, ready to face challenges, so he will overcome it.” “You have to accept reality and deal with it,” Simmons declared. Now, my job is how to come back after the injury.”

In the past, many NBA players have had similar problems to Simmons and one of them is Kevin Durant. Immediately, Simmons went to the Golden State Warriors star to get advice: “I had the same problem as Durant a while ago, so I wanted to get advice from him for the best solution.”

Simmons’ foot bones were severely damaged, so the doctor had to inject him with medicine containing bone marrow. A serious injury can break the will of any 21-year-old player, but not Simmons.

With extraordinary determination, Simmons improved his injury day by day. Although not 100% recovered, it is still enough for the Australian talent to return and enjoy the atmosphere at top NBA matches.

“King James”, Durant and many other stars admire Simmons

After a full year of retirement, Simmons entered the 2017/18 NBA as a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers. In the first match, the talented Australian played 34 minutes (the most in the Philadelphia 76ers squad), scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. The Philadelphia 76ers lost sadly to the Washington Wizards, but Simmons won.

“To return to the wooden floor, Simmons went through an extremely difficult time. Look at his performance against the Washington Wizards to see how much potential he has for development. With the regular service of Simmons, I think the Philadelphia 76ers will accomplish their goal of returning to the play-off group this season,” coach Brett Brown emphasized.

LeBron James calls Simmons the new king of the NBA.

Indeed, the return of Simmons and Joel Embiid helped the Philadelphia 76ers make a spectacular transformation in the past season. No longer the image of a bullied team, the “point warehouse” of the entire tournament, the Philadelphia 76ers ranked third in the East and won the right to play in the play-offs after 6 long years of waiting.

The season hasn’t ended yet, Simmons nominated himself for the title of “Best Rookie of the Year”. He expressed: “I will nominate myself for this award. Simmons has played well all season, if you don’t believe me, look at my statistics.”

The Australian star averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.7 steals, numbers that demonstrate the comprehensiveness of Simmons’ play. The 22-year-old player had 12 triple-doubles (with 3 scores above 10) in the 2017/18 season. During the entire regular season, Simmons was honored for 6 consecutive months with the “Best Rookie in the East” award.

At the number 1 position in basketball, the biggest requirements lie in dribbling skills, organizing play and creating. Therefore, Kyrie Irving (1.9 m), Stephen Curry (1.9 m), Kemba Walker (1.92 m) and especially Isaiah Thomas (1.75 m) are enough to shine when playing in the role. ball defender.

As for Simmons, not only does he possess the above qualities, the 22-year-old star also leaves an impression with his rebounding and defensive abilities thanks to his height of up to 2.08 m. Simmons’s attacks on the basket are not only speedy and technical, but also bold and strong like a player playing in the Small Forward position.

Since the days of Magic Johnson (2.06 m tall), the NBA has seen a tall ball-dribbling defender with an outstanding skill set like Simmons. Kevin Durant once exclaimed: “In my career, I have never seen a ball-dribbling defender like Simmons. He is fast, skillful, and has great physical strength and strength.”

Simmons possesses the most comprehensive skill set in the NBA today.

Simmons’ comprehensiveness allows him to play any position on the field. Even in his rookie season, Simmons was a phenomenon in the league and people began to compare him to LeBron James. “King James” himself always expressed his admiration for Simmons, he affirmed that the Australian star will soon be the king of the NBA.

“Simmons’ talent is something we see every game. At 22 years old, he will go very far in the future. Now I’m the king, and Simmons is the prince. In just a little while, Simmons will succeed the king,” LeBron James assessed.

Once directly watching Simmons demonstrate his skills on the wooden floor, Kobe Bryant had to exclaim to ESPN : “It’s just the beginning, but Simmons is truly extraordinary, so comprehensive and scary. Look at the way he controls Controlling the ball, it felt like the game was slowing down and following Simmons’ thoughts.

Historically, most legends in the NBA have American nationality. There are only a few cases from other continents, but recognized in the “Land of Flags” for their outstanding talent such as: Yao Ming (China), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker (France) and Manu Ginobili (Argentina).

Year by year, the level of basketball between the US and countries around the world is narrowing, so the NBA is gathering a series of outstanding players who are not of American nationality. From Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), Lauri Markkanen (Finland), Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and especially Simmons (Australia).

Simmons has a very good starting point. The problem is that the 22-year-old talent must continue to overcome pressure and barriers from injury to become a true star in the NBA like Yao Ming or Nowitzki.

For Australian basketball, after the time of Andrew Bogut – who won the NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, they praised Simmons as their new pride.