The discussion around Ben Simmons is vaguely irritating, if nothing else. It’s focused on his primary weakness, often ignoring overwhelming evidence of his positive impact on the court.
Going into next season, Simmons is primed to take another step forward. To establish himself as the Philadelphia 76ers‘ second-best player and a long-term cornerstone next to Joel Embiid. Those who called this past season a regression aren’t watch enough Sixers basketball. Simmons showed considerable improvement all season — especially in the playoffs.
Even without a workable jumper, I’m comfortable calling Simmons a top-30 NBA player at worst.