Can an NBA player be a superstar without being an elite scorer?
That's the question Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick of this year's NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, might end up posing.
During two games with the Sixers in the Utah Jazz Summer League, Simmons didn't do much scoring. But as Philadelphia prepares to head to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League and a Saturday night showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers and No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram, Simmons has certainly shown the potential that made him the top pick last month.
Here's a thumbnail scouting report of Simmons' first two games as a pro:
Playmaking
Above anything else, Simmons' passing has stood out in Salt Lake City. Not necessarily in terms of assists, though Simmons had five in his debut Monday night and six more Thursday. Those numbers still can't do justice to the quality of Simmons' passing.
At times, Simmons finds open teammates before they even know they're open. When Simmons gets to training camp, expect a lot of passes bouncing off unaware teammates who aren't yet used to his court vision.
Few of Simmons' assists have been of the kind to cause any player to get out of the flow of the offense. Instead, he throws high-value passes that tend to lead to layups -- Sixers center Richaun Holmes got two of those off Simmons feeds in the first quarter alone Thursday night -- or open 3s.
And when Simmons spots the defense tilting his direction, leaving a shooter uncovered on the weak side, he's capable of whipping the ball across court at high velocity with either hand -- something really only LeBron James does among veteran NBA players.
All of this suggests Philadelphia is wise to look at Simmons as a point guard, no matter which position he defends at the other end of the court. The 76ers signing Jerryd Bayless to a three-year contract suggests they're committed to this plan. Bayless probably will defend point guards and help Simmons initiate the offense, and he's capable of playing off the ball when Simmons is running the show.
As a point guard, Simmons will have to avoid over-dribbling and running down the shot clock, an occasional tendency presumably left over from the 30-second shot clock in the NCAA game.
Scoring
After scoring 10 points Monday night before leaving because of a calf cramping midway through the fourth quarter, Simmons had only six Thursday. That's partially a function of Simmons driving to dish rather than to score, but he also shot 4-of-17 from the field in the two games.
On Monday, Philadelphia had success putting Simmons at the elbow, where a pull-up jumper is within his range and he can also use his quick first step to get to the basket. But even those midrange attempts weren't falling for Simmons on Thursday, reinforcing his weakness as a shooter.
We also saw Simmons struggle at times to score in traffic. The quality of rim protection is one of the biggest differences between the college game and the NBA, even in summer league, and that will be an adjustment for Simmons -- especially when opponents start playing him for the pass and staying home defensively.
Simmons will get points in the flow of the game, but at this stage of his career he's not a particularly good scorer.
Defense
Perhaps the most encouraging part of Simmons' debut was how well he competed at the defensive end. At LSU, Simmons' energy level on defense waned toward the end of the season as hopes of an NCAA tournament berth slipped away.
Physically, Simmons has the tools to defend either forward position. I particularly liked the way he used his long arms defending against guards on switches, playing off far enough to prevent penetration and still having the ability to contest a pull-up jumper.
Since the Sixers won't need a traditional point guard with Simmons, they could potentially put three wings on the court and switch any picks involving those players and Simmons.
Alas, that defensive effort didn't quite carry over Thursday night. We didn't see Simmons in a defensive stance as consistently, and this time Utah journeyman Dionte Christmas beat him off the dribble when Simmons switched on to him. Keeping Simmons' defensive intensity up during his rookie season will be one of coach Brett Brown's biggest challenges.
Overall
My college projections pegged Draymond Green as the closest comp for Simmons' freshman year, and after watching him in person this week, I'm increasingly convinced that's the case -- on offense.
Obviously, Simmons doesn't have the same motor or basketball IQ that makes Green one of the league's top defenders, although he's bigger. In terms of how Simmons can impact a game offensively, however, I think Green (who ranked 10th in the league in offensive rating in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus) is a good parallel.
It took the Golden State Warriors a few seasons to figure out how to maximize Green as a point forward. That didn't really happen until this past season, in fact. Philadelphia can use that example to speed up the process with Simmons. Given his importance to the franchise, there's no other choice for the 76ers.