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Australian Ben Simmons shines but falters at the death in thrilling New York debut

Ben Simmons is headed to Philadelphia after being taken with the number one pick in the NBA Draft. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Editor
24th November, 2015
28

Aussie basketball phenom Ben Simmons has just played one of the best individual games you’ll ever see in college basketball. His team also still lost.

LSU went down to Marquette 81-80 in a nail-biter at Barclays Centre, the home of the Brooklyn Nets, but all the talk after the game was about one player only.

The 19-year-old was utterly dominant on both ends of the floor, putting up 21 points, 20 rebounds and 7 assists – the first time a major conference player posted those numbers since Blake Griffin played for Oklahoma way back in the 2008-09 season.

His elite passing ability, court vision and raw athleticism were all on show in New York as he stood head-and-shoulders above all other players on the court.

One particular highlight included a stunning piece of individual brilliance – going coast-to-coast, the 6″9′ giant effortlessly weaved his way through the defenders before finishing with a one-handed dunk from his non-preferred hand.

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Finally, when he took it to the hole with 20 seconds to go, it appeared the boy from Melbourne might have scored the game-winner, but a pair of free throws to Marquette meant LSU had to score with 10 seconds remaining.

Instead of taking the final shot, Simmons drove and kicked it out to Brandon Sampson before getting it back and passing it to Jalyn Patterson, who missed a deep three.

Simmons has been, probably rightly, criticised by some for not taking the clutch shot. The first pass to Sampson was the right option but when he got it back, the onus was on him as the best player on the court to finish the job.

His unselfishness is a trademark of Simmons’ play, but he’ll need to develop a stronger ‘killer instinct’ if he’s to become truly great. He’s still young though, and this will be an important learning moment for him. The same criticism has been levelled at LeBron James throughout his career – so he’s in good company.

Despite this, Simmons’ exceptional game reinforced his position as the presumptive number one draft pick for 2016. Make no mistake, he is the real deal.

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As one ESPN commentator said today, “Some people call it hype but [with Simmons] it’s just the truth”.

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