Ben Simmons is an elite defender and the world is finally catching on.
Related: Jimmy 'not James' Butler secures huge Game 2 win
Simmons, at just 22 years old in season two, was the only player in the NBA to guard each position at least 10-percent of the time and hold the opposing player under their normal production (points per 100 poss) at all five positions. At 6'10" and 230 pounds, Simmons is one of the most athletic players in the league and he's showing it on the defensive end of the court better than he's ever had before.
In the Sixers' first-round series against the Nets which ended in five games, Simmons eliminated D'Angelo Russell. In the regular season, Russell averaged 21.1 points, 7.0 assists/3.1 turnovers, with a 51.2 effective field-goal percentage.
Against Simmons in the playoffs, Russell averaged just 19.4 points, 3.6 assists/2.8 turnovers, with a 41.7 effective field-goal percentage.
So far, in two semifinals games against the Raptors, Simmons has done an incredible job of bothering Kawhi Leonard. In Toronot's blowout Game 1, Leonard did most of his damage against everyone except Simmons.
Leonard in Game 1:
- 5-5 FG vs Tobias Harris
- 5-6 FG vs Jimmy Butler
- 2-3 FG vs James Ennis
- 4-9 FG vs Ben Simmons
In Game 2, Simmons was given the challenge of being the primary defender on Leonard. Sure, Leonard got his, finishing 13-24 for 35 points. But, when taking a deeper look, Leonard was 3-10 from three, but 0-6 from three when being guarded by Simmons.
Leonard was 8-16 from the field against Simmons overall and the Sixers won 94-89 despite shooting 39.5% and committing 20 turnovers.
In two games, Leonard has not made a single three-pointer against Simmons, who is the only Sixer consistently bothering Leonard. When Leonard is being guarded by Simmons he is much more prone to use an extra pump fake, become a facilitator, and/or hesitate with his decisions.
In the 2019 NBA Playoff, Simmons is holding opponents to 24-83 shooting (28.9%) and just 10-47 three-point shooting (21.2%). That's an effective field-goal percentage of 34.9%, well below the league average of 52.4%.
Game 3 between the Sixers and Raptors is Thursday night. Philadelphia is -1.5.
