Ben Simmons Sounds off on Markelle Fultz, Critics and His Role With 76ers

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When the Philadelphia 76ers used the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft on Ben Simmons, one of the immediate questions was how exactly the team would deploy him. Fortunately, head coach Brett Brown seemingly put that question to bed, as Matt Lombardo of NJ.com reported that the plan is to play Simmons at point guard.

“I do concede the thing that we missed with him not playing after the all-star break is I have this vision that I want to pursue with him as a point guard,” Brown said. “Nobody can promise that I’m right. I don’t know, either. But I think from what I have studied from his childhood, high school and at LSU, I feel confident that we should try this and look at it. We would know a lot more if he had played.”

But as you can tell, even Brown isn’t sure what exactly to expect from Simmons as a point guard, as he’s listed at 6-foot-10 and played forward at LSU. Tack on the decision by the 76ers to trade up and draft Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft and the plot thickens even more.

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Or at least it did until Simmons responded to any question about his role on the team and what position he’ll be playing this coming season. After missing the entire 2016-17 season with a fractured bone in his foot, he’s now talking like a man ready to lead the Sixers offense and be the point guard, according to ESPN.

“I think you can move me anywhere. But I’m a starting point guard,” Simmons told reporters Sunday at the Las Vegas summer league.

As for how he’ll work with Fultz, who did play point guard at Washington, Simmons isn’t too worried about that part of it either.

“I have no problem sharing the ball. He doesn’t, either. Watching him play, he can share the ball,” Simmons told reporters.

Sounds like Simmons is ready to put the questions about his position and fit with Fultz to bed. He’s also talking like a player who’s officially bought into what his head coach is selling with him at the one-guard spot. ESPN points out that he’d be by far the tallest official point guard in the league at 6-foot-10, although Giannis Antetokounmpo at 6-foot-11 handles the ball a bit also, but is still listed as a small forward.

To tack onto all this, Simmons apparently didn’t seem too interested in hearing about any doubters or people who are curious how he’ll perform as an NBA point guard, according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com.

While the Sixers’ primary ball-handler, who’s also a favorite to win the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year award seems confident in his own abilities, no one will be completely sold until they actually see him running the point in an NBA game. For now, it’ll be all about the hype of the young 76ers and the potential for Simmons to prove that he’s the superstar that fans had hoped he would become when first entering the league.