Getty Images Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid during the tough loss to the Brooklyn Nets
Recent scuttlebutt out of Brooklyn has Ben Simmons possibly switching positions this season. The All-Star point guard has made his bones by throwing his 6-foot-11 frame at the much smaller guards he’s tasked with stopping. He’s a matchup nightmare on the perimeter.
But what if Simmons stepped into the paint and played center? It’s something the Philadelphia 76ers experimented with at times during his tenure there. Now the move from point guard to center is gaining traction in Brooklyn. And it makes sense.
The New York Post’s Brian Lewis floated the idea out there in a recent article exploring how the Nets can best maximize Simmons’ talent. In it, Lewis cites a 2019 first-round playoff game where Simmons played center against the Nets with Joel Embiid sidelined for the Sixers. He wrote:
The Nets got a look at what Simmons could be as a smallball 5 during a 2019 first-round playoff loss to the Sixers. When Embiid was sidelined due to a knee injury, the Sixers closed the fourth quarter of Game 3 with Simmons at center. He responded with the best postseason performance of his career: 31 points on 11-for-13 shooting, nine assists, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Steve Nash says he sees Ben Simmons as a center, point guard, forward, etc. once he’s healthy.
Not only that, head coach Steve Nash told reporters that Simmons would play both point guard and center in a “re-imagined Nets offense.”
“He’ll also sometimes be the center,” Nash said, via Nets Daily. “Other times he’ll be the guy that’s just playing position-less basketball, trying to create offense in the half-court. So for me, it’s playing to his strengths, which are varied, and all those things are a part of it.”
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Imagine Joel Embiid vs. Ben Simmons
As news of this “re-imagined Nets offense” started to spread across the Twitterverse, Sixers fans had a field day. Putting Simmons in the paint would literally send him on a collision course with Joel Embiid. The teammates-turned-rivals would be matched up, mano a mano, for all the world to see.
The consensus, largely from the Philly faithful, was that Embiid would eat Simmons up.
Victor Williams of the Philly Pod posted a hilarious video of Shaquille O’Neal dunking on Chris Dudley, then tossing him to the ground. It was meant to be a sneak preview of the Simmons vs. Embiid matchup.
@ClutchPointsApp Embiid when he gets Ben in the post.
In reality, who are the Nets going to start at center? Andre Drummond signed with the Chicago Bulls in free agency. That leaves Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe as the only candidates on the roster. Yikes. The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer wrote:
There have been rumblings of Simmons playing center this season and Durant has done so before in small-ball lineups. Do the Nets add another big man or role with the traditional and modern options they have? Is there a surprise trade of sorts? How Marks uses the momentum and roster flexibility will be worth watching in the coming weeks.
There have been rumblings of Ben Simmons playing center this season, @Alex__Schiffer writes.
Will the Nets add another big man or role with the traditional and modern options they have?
More: t.co/HXOmg0nvor
The Sixers and Nets will face each other four times this season: Simmons’ Philly homecoming is slated for November 22 at 7:30 p.m. on TNT.
Simmons Sends Message to Sports Talker Howard Eskin
Simmons sent a sympathy message out to Philly sports talker Howard Eskin. The two had their fair share of battles on social media and at press conferences over the years; however, Simmons sent his condolences after Eskin revealed he had lost his “best friend Jack.” Jack was Eskin’s dog of 15 years.