By: Jack Maloney, NBA International
On 4 July, the long-awaited grand prize of “The Process” finally made his Philadelphia 76ers debut. It wasn’t the spectacle that his first real NBA game will be, but still, Ben Simmons donning a Sixers jersey for the first time was an exciting moment.
Unfortunately, his night came to an early end as he had to leave the game in the 4th quarter due to cramps in his calfs; luckily, nothing a few sports drinks and some stretching can’t fix. As for when he was on the court, he finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, shooting just 2-9 from the field, but getting to the line for six free throws and making all of them.
Of course, Simmons will face better competition come the NBA regular season, but he showed glimpses of the limitless potential that basketball fans have been so enthusiastic about since he was a high schooler in Australia.
Even on plays where he ended up missing a shot, he looked impressive. Such as on this drive, where he caught the ball on the run, then went into a combo behind-the-back-into-a-crossover move that got him past the No. 3 overall pick, an impressive defender himself, Jaylen Brown. He missed the shot, but finishing in the paint is much easier to improve on than having the athletic ability and ball-handling skills at 6-foot-10 to make the move in the first place.
But where Simmons stood out most in his debut was as a passer. It was touted as one of his best skills coming out of college, as Draft Express noted in one of their scouting reports: Simmons, “has outstanding court vision and a knack for finding open teammates with bullet passes.” And he proved it to be true against the Celtics.
He threw one of those bullet passes for his first-ever Sixers assist, whipping the ball up top to Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot for an open three.
A bit later, he once again found Luwawu-Cabarott, this time on the fastbreak. This was perhaps the play of the game, as Simmons grabbed the board, started the break all by himself, then threaded the needle to his French teammate with a strong bounce pass.
He wasn’t done getting on the highlight reel, however, as he found Richaun Holmes wide open underneath with this slick touch pass.
Whether it was in the halfcourt, or on the break, Simmons put his impressive passing ability on full display in Utah Monday night. And sure, it was only game one of Summer League, but all legends have to start somewhere.
