With the college basketball season now less than a month away, the hype surrounding Australian basketball phenom Ben Simmons just keeps climbing and climbing.
After being voted the best high-school player in the United States last year, Simmons is taking his talents to Louisiana State University (LSU).
A respectable, but far from an elite basketball school, the LSU faithful are hailing the 19-year-old as their messiah and it seems they’re not the only ones with big expectations.
ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla told FOX Sports Australia,
“I think Ben could start for 20 of the 30 NBA team right now.”
“I don’t know if he’d beat out Harrison Barnes at the Warriors, or Kawhi Leonard at San Antonio, but he could probably start for all non-playoff teams, and a handful of playoff teams. He’s really that good.”
Simmons is an astonishingly versatile player who is being slated as a potential number one draft pick in 2016.
“He’s their best player at five different positions,” continued Fraschilla, “Ben would be an All-American at any of the five positions on the court.”
“It looks like they’re going to put the ball in his hands and he’ll be the playmaker. He’ll be their point guard, or point forward, as much as possible. He’ll have the freedom just to grab a rebound and keep it himself, which is very Magic Johnson and Lebron-like.”
The son of former NBL star Dave Simmons, Ben spent the first sixteen years of his life in Australia, excelling at both basketball and Aussie Rules before moving to Montverde Academy in Florida to pursue a career in the NBA.
He led them to three national championships and is now about to take the next step in his basketball journey, which Fraschilla believes, is destined for greatness.
“You never want to say anyone’s in the same class as Magic and LeBron, because that’s high praise, but I think his ceiling as an NBA player is right below that,” said Fraschilla.
“Whether it’s Tracy McGrady, or any of these ‘positionless’ players that have gone to the NBA through the years, I think that he has a chance to be the next level NBA superstar.”
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