#PHILAfirst: Sixers, Simmons Eager to Move Forward Together

PHILADELPHIA – The 76ers and Ben Simmons got what they wanted Thursday night, and that was each other.For a team that has longed for a potentially transcendent star, one was secured. For a 19-year old from the other side of the world aiming to fulfill a lifelong goal, the mission was realized.  “We feel like we’ve dramatically improved our basketball team, and the outlook for the future,” said Sixers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo, who was entrusted with making the third number one pick in franchise history.”Surreal” was the word Simmons used to describe being taken first overall in this year’s draft. Brett Brown, now responsible for coaching and developing the Louisiana State product, joked that even though the NBA gave the Sixers five minutes to phone in the top pick, the club could have placed its call in five seconds.  That’s how sure the organization was about Simmons.”There’s a lot that we can say about [Thursday],” said Colangelo, who also acquired a pair of promising young international prospects in the latter stages of the first round.  “Probably more than anything, we’re tremendously excited about the addition of Ben Simmons to this team and to this roster.  I think the city of Philadelphia, the fans, are going to be extremely pleased with what they see out of Ben hopefully for the next decade-plus.  This is a great starting point for this stage of evolution of this franchise.””I always want to be the best player,” Simmons said, when asked on a conference call with Philadelphia reporters if it was important to him that the Sixers to chose him first overall.  “They selected me at one, so it means a lot.  They believed in what I can bring to franchise.”What qualities of the multi-faceted, 6’10” tall, 240 pound forward have the Sixers so bullish?  “He impacts everything,” Colangelo said late Thursday evening at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, site of the Sixers’ war room.  “I think he’s going to impact the outlook for the organization, the outlook for fans. I think he gives them reason for hope.  He’s going to make the players on the court that he plays with better.  That’s one of the key traits we liked about Ben.”For the Sixers, Simmons’ appeal went beyond the basketball court.   “Ben’s going to improve everything across the board, including the bottom line,” said Colangelo.  “He’s a star figure in his own right at this age.  If he does the things that are required from a basketball standpoint to continue to improve, the sky’s the limit for him.  Basketball, business, everything is being affected in a positive way.”The statistics that Simmons put up during his lone campaign at Louisiana State were sterling — he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, and cranked out 23 double-doubles.  As the diverse nature of his skills demonstrates, there is much the Melbourne, Australia native can do. Calling himself a “versatile player,” Simmons said, “You really can put me in any position on the court, and it can work.””For me it’s always who do you guard,” said Brown on Thursday, as he discussed the possible fit for Simmons on the Sixers’ roster. “I feel like he is going to be able to guard four-men.  He is going to be able to switch out on pick-and-rolls if we chose to do that.  Call it a ‘point-four.'”  Colangelo would rather refer to Simmons simply as a “basketball player,” one capable of moving the Sixers’ depth chart closer to positional balance.  Achieving that dynamic is currently a top priority.”I think he’s a facilitator, he’s a distributor, he’s a scorer, he’s a rebounder,” said the Sixers’ personnel chief, who ran his first draft with the team Thursday.  “The way I look to look at building a basketball team, I look to put players into categories in terms of versatility, skill set, and who they might guard.  He’s somewhere in between, but I do know this — he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot.”Asking Simmons to assume point guard demands on a full-time basis at the outset of his career, however, does not appear to be part of the Sixers’ immediate plans.”There are times that, if you caught me, I would think that I want to just treat him as a true point guard — just give him the ball,” admitted Brown.  “You can go back and forth, but I think it’s the hardest position to play in the NBA.  I think to just give him the ball in that capacity is borderline cruel.  He needs to feel NBA basketball.  Maybe he evolves there, but to start with, that’s [not[ how we’ll play him.”In addition to handling the rock, Simmons has also gotten accustomed to managing the immense expectations that have followed him through his career, which, up until Thursday, had been limited to the amateur level.  At Montverde Academy, he racked up multiple national player of the year honors, and earned the top individual rank in the country. Even before competing in his first collegiate game, Simmons was presumed to be the number one pick in this year’s draft.  Represented by Klutch Sports Group, the agency run by LeBron James’ long-time friend, Rich Paul, Simmons took advantage of consulting the now three-time champion as he prepared to go pro.  There was a valuable connection established.”Just focus, keep your family close, and make sure you have your goals ahead of you, and just be smart about it,” Simmons said of the advice that James passed along. “It takes time to develop, but as long as you put in the work, you get what you put out.”Leading up to the draft, Simmons received plenty of exposure.  He was part of Foot Locker’s national marketing campaign, and appeared on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” this past Tuesday.  The Sixers, which met with Simmons in Cleveland last week before hosting him for a private workout Tuesday morning, have been impressed with his intangibles.Regarding fanfare, Colangelo believes Simmons is “going to handle it probably as well as anyone because he’s been prepared for this for so long.”Colangelo continued, “I think he’s ready to get on with the basketball  part.  He’s attentive, responsible, he’s more mature than you realize.  He almost seems bored, like he’s ready to get on with this, and I think he’s very anxious to start the journey.”Friday, Simmons will spend his first day in Philadelphia as a member of the Sixers, and take part in a press conference planned for 3:00 PM EST.  At Barclays Center the night of the draft, with a solid contingent of Sixers supporters in attendance, Simmons got his first introduction to the team’s fanbase.”Very excited,” said Simmons.  “Hearing them chant my name, it was very special, because I want to be somewhere where people want me to play.  I’m glad to be a part of the organization.”  That the feelings were mutual was a safe conclusion to draw Thursday evening.”Talent, size, he’s got everything,” Colangelo said.  “He’s the full package as a basketball player.  You talk about the things that he’s capable of doing on the court, it can be special. If things go right, he should have a long career, he should have an impactful career.  I think Philadelphia should be happy to have Ben Simmons.  Fans are going to be thrilled with what they see.”The statement came confidently off the tongue of a man who seemed very certain that the weighty decision he made will prove best for all parties involved.