Philadelphia 76ers fans who appreciate betting on basketball SBG Global sportsbook should be pretty happy that their team selected Australian Ben Simmons as the first pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft… or should they? According to NBA.com’s Draft expert Scott Howard-Cooper, the more mature Brandon Ingram was the versatile scorer that the 76ers could have used after finishing 30th in offense in the league (96.6 points per 100 possessions).
Additionally, Philadelphia picked French Timothe Luwawu (24th) and Turkish Furkan Korkmaz (26th), though Howard-Cooper predicted at least one of those picks would be traded or spent on a player who will stay overseas.
People who enjoy betting on basketball may wonder who Ben Simmons is. The Melbourne-born small forward played one year with the Louisiana State University Tigers, averaging 17.4 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2.0 tpg, 3.4 spg, 34.9 mpg, .560 FG, .333 3PT, .670 FT. Simmons has a high basketball IQ, good handle (though he needs to cut down on TOs), excellent rebounding skills, and transitions well between scoring and passing. He has also been lauded and criticized for being an unselfish playmaker. A few critics blamed Simmons for LSU’s failure to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament or even the NIT. However, the consensus is that he played as well as expected.
As a matter of fact, Simmons ranked 1st among power conference players and 5th nationally in double-doubles – including 40 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals versus North Florida, becoming the first freshman in two decades to put together a 40/10/5/5 game. Simmons’s court credentials are bulletproof, so NBA media analysts have targeted instead his attitude and character, saying among other things that he is not hungry enough.
However, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown has said he is satisfied with Simmons’ pre-draft behavior. Wait a Philadelphia minute here… Brown is a former Australian national team coach and a friend of the Simmons family. The plot thickens.
According to NBA.com, Simmons reminds them of LeBron James. Whether this means he will raise Philadelphia’s hopes, defect to and win titles for another city, and finally return to Philly to make up for leaving them high and dry, only time will tell. And whether Simmons will be a Shawn Bradley or an Allen Iverson has yet to be seen as well.
In addition to Simmons, the Sixers have Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and Joel Embiid under contract. With these four in the starting lineup, there is at least a smidge of hope for Philadelphia fans who like betting on basketball SBG Global sportsbook. But first they need improvements all across the board; offense, defense, roster depth, culture… you name it.