Ben Simmons was one of the best 21-year old players in NBA history when he faced Boston in the 2nd round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Then Brad Stevens allegedly laid out “the blueprint” on defending Simmons. These are his stats for the series:
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14/8/6 on 47.5% are not terrible counting stats — but his turnovers, effect on court spacing, and passivity in transition spelled disaster for the Sixers offense.
During their four regular season contests, Ben Simmons played 140 minutes vs. Boston, the most of any Sixers player.