Ben Simmons is uber athletic, he has great court vision, and he has unlimited potential. Who else had these same attributes before entering the NBA? LeBron James. These two players are very comparable, and Simmons may very well be the next LeBron. Denzel Valentine of the Chicago Bulls noticed this comparison, and spoke to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Nick Friedell about it after playing against Simmons for the first time as a pro:
“He’s like a mini-LeBron,” the Bulls’ 14th overall pick said after facing Simmons for the first time as a pro Sunday. “LeBron’s probably top 10, so if he’s a mini-LeBron, that’s saying a lot.”
In Simmons first summer league game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he showed off his skills as he nearly got a triple-double along with flashing no-look passes. In his second game against the Chicago Bulls, Simmons showed us another part of his game: his scoring. The Bulls dared him to shoot jump shots, so that is what he did. He shot 7 for 13 in the game, scoring 18 points while only assisting on 2 baskets.
We knew Simmons could move the ball around with ease, and he showed us his abilities as a scorer against the Bulls. Valentine is right, Simmons is a mini-LeBron, and that is a huge compliment to give to such a young guy.
