Giannis Antetokounmpo may be the starting point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks next year, but he may not be the only big guy playing point.
Brett Brown recently was at the Eagles training camp, and he spoke with reporters. He said that he plans on using his rookie forward, Ben Simmons, who was the #1 pick in the NBA Draft, at the point guard a little bit. Hey, it’s worth a shot. It worked for the Bucks, so maybe it will work for the 76ers.
“I can’t wait for the season to begin and all over the place I’m very, very excited to start our season,” Brown said. “I think [Simmons] is going to have some taste of [point guard] for sure. He’ll dictate that himself when he rebounds and leads the break. I’ve said it many times, I think the NBA point guard is the hardest position in the NBA.
“He’s never played point guard, let alone NBA point guard, so what do you think he’s going to be? He has a real good chance to be that. I think initially we’re going to play him in different positions and that [point guard] will certainly be one of them. I believe he’s an elite passer. He has the mentality to do that first—and in a 6-foot-10 frame that weighs 240, 250 pounds, at 20 years old. That’s a great package to work with to play multiple positions.
“He’s going to be a facilitator. You’re going to see [Simmons] making plays. The ball will be in his hands and you can call what position you want. He’s certainly going to have the ball in his hands a lot, and everybody will certainly be reaping the benefits of that and truly enjoy playing with him. What we will say is we will give him the ball as much as we can.”
Simmons has showed time and time again that he is a gifted passer, so this will probably work. He can handle the ball, run the floor, and he makes smart decisions. He may be a very talented play maker in the NBA, and this may be a great idea from Brown. The 76ers likely won’t be winning this year, so why not expirement with guy such as Simmons?
