According to Philadelphia Sixers head coach Brett Brown, Ben Simmons will play some point guard for his new team.
The top overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, dazzled with his playmaking skills during Summer League play.
Brown is excited to work with the Sixers’ promising crop of young talent.
Per CBS Philly:
Dario Saric made an amazing block in the closing seconds to preserve Croatia’s 72-70 upset of Spain on Sunday night. Joel Embiid has looked great in workouts, and Ben Simmons, the 2016 overall first pick in the NBA Draft, has his new coach intrigued. […] “I think you’re looking at a young player who is extremely competitive,” Brown said of Saric. “Manu Ginobili was like his first year in the NBA. He wears his heart on his sleeve. You can see his aggressive nature in his body language. I feel like that, combined with learning NBA basketball, I’ll take that foundation all day every day.”
(Joel) Embiid, according to Brown, is set to make his NBA regular season this fall. […] “We’ve scripted a plan for [Embiid] that he’s following religiously, when we start talking about all of these different pieces, the city is going to see something very unique in a 7-foot-2 frame that has the skill package that is exceptional, albeit young, albeit he hasn’t played a second of NBA basketball,” Brown said of Embiid. “I’m very, very excited to coach him. How can you not step back and see someone with that body, with that agility and that mentality do what he’s doing. Albeit against nobody [in summer workouts], I love him. We all see what he can grow to be.”
“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.”
