With the Philadelphia 76ers opening the 2018-2019 NBA season tonight visiting the Boston Celtics, here are Ben Simmons best passes from the preseason.
By far Ben Simmons best attribute is his passing, even being an outstanding rebounder and finisher at the rim, the freakish 6″10 point guard has passing skills very rarely seen for anyone.
Not only does he have the size to see over the defense, but his strength and athletic ability are also at an elite level. Once Simmons is able to develop a consistent jump shot, there will be virtually no way to stop him.
Down below we have a few examples from this years preseason that demonstrate Simmons elite passing skills.
Example #1: Simmons collects the entry pass from Robert Covington and is able to make a nice pass to the cutting Markelle Fultz around a double team,
We can see right here that Simmons makes a fantastic wrap around pass to hit Fultz wide open on his way to the hoop. Simmons original man should have rotated to the cutting Fultz but freezes in the paint and fails to make any play at all.
Example #2: Simmons attack the paint off a nice drop pass from Dario Saric, three defenders come over to help, which leaves Amir Johnson wide open for the layup plus a foul.
As Simmons enters the lane, he draws the attention of three defenders, with Amir Johnson’s man in a position to step over and help. Simmons is able to do another beautiful wrap-around pass to Johnson, who collects and makes the basket, even with a little push from behind.
Example #3: In transition, Simmons is able to make the nice pass to Fultz for three.
Simmons is most deadly when he is in transition because of his size, speed, and strength. Once he gets inside the three-point line, the defenders collapse in to cut off the easy basket, which leaves Covington and Fultz wide open on the wings ready to shoot.
Simmons swings the pass to Fultz, who hits his first three of the 2018 NBA season. Beautiful to see after the rough time he had last year,
Example #4: Simmons gets into the paint once again, and makes a nice pass out of the shot.
While the shot was there for Simmons but drawing the attention of four defenders leaves a lane for Johnson to head straight to the rim. On the perimeter, Ben also had two shooters open for a shot, but the better play was to drop the pass off to Amir.
Example #5: Simmons threads the needle to Covington in transition.
The defense is making an excellent effort to get back in transition, but Ben Simmons has a small window to make the pass to a cutting Covington, while also needing to hit him in stride since he will be coming in full speed ahead.
J.J Redick looks to be trailing around Simmons to give him an out if the pass was not there, but the ball gets to Covington right in stride for the dunk.
The overall theme from these passes is Ben Simmons is able to routinely get deep into the defense, forcing help and hitting wide open teammates. What is also really impressive is the creativity he uses to get passes off, because of his size he is able to see over and around defenders, which gives him unique angles for passes. With the 76ers stacked with talent and shooters, it does not seem too crazy to think that Ben Simmons will lead the league in assists this season.
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