Snubbed. Robbed. Overlooked. Three words you wouldn’t expect to be associated with Philadelphia 76ers number 25 in his much-hyped rookie season, but for the future of Australian basketball, Ben Simmons, that is exactly the case.
Putting his rookie year on the back burner to recover from a Jones fracture to the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, the human highlight reel that is the number one 2016 draft pick has given us a mere taste of his raw talent. Drawing comparisons to the likes of the greatest basketball player of the 21st century, LeBron James, such potential has wet the lips of Australian basketball fans with a sense of expectation of what is still yet to come.
With expectation comes pressure, and pressure in sport is a funny thing. It has the potential to make nothings into somethings and vice versa. Through the cameras, the interviews, the celebrities and the stardom, getting stuck like a deer in headlights – no disrespect, Milwaukee – is almost unavoidable.
For Simmons, an athlete with only 48 games of professional basketball experience, to be compared to an image of basketball greatness in LeBron James, boasting a resume featuring three championships and 1111 NBA games, just seems premature.
(Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The last time a rookie was selected to an All-Star game was in 2011, when personal favourite Blake Griffin erupted onto the scene. Prior to Griffin, some eight years earlier, China’s prodigal son Yao Ming was selected in 2003. That’s two rookies in the space of 15 years.
To put things into greater perspective, not even LeBron James could make the All-Star game in his rookie season. Since then he has gone on to make 14 consecutive appearances.
It seems ridiculous to assume that Simmons was snubbed from the All-Star game despite receiving the third highest number of votes of players within the Eastern Conference. Yes, one can assume a majority of those votes would have come from Australian audiences and 76er faithful, but it’s for Simmons benefit.
Think about it. Rookies are overlooked for the All-Star games. It’s a fact. Give Simmons another few years to refine his game, to learn how to shoot a jumper and earn the respect of the rest of the league. Then he will be a true All-Star, not a boy who can simply pull off highlight-reel plays.
Simmons’s numbers speak for themselves. He is putting up 16 points, seven boards and seven assists per game. For a rookie these are great – phenomenal in fact. Factor in a year off for injury and the potential for improvement yet to come and this guy has some serious talent. To put this in perspective, LeBron James averaged 20 points, seven boards and seven assists in his rookie campaign and likewise missed out on the All-Star game.
(AP Photo/Kim Raff)
Taking out a guy out like Kevin Love and replacing him with Goran Dragic ahead of Simmons certainly raised some eyebrows, mine included. Yes, Simmons’s numbers are better than Dragic’s, who is averaging 17 points, four boards and five assists. Yes, Simmons also had a much larger number of votes than Dragic.
There is a larger picture here, though. To put it simply, Simmons is not on the same level as those who preceded him. Simply ask LeBron James – he understands the pressure. He had the potential to choose Simmons as a reserve but didn’t. Why? Because Simmons’s talent is still too raw and unrefined.
Both All-Star rosters are stacked with champions, Olympic gold medallists, MVPs and All-NBA award recipients. Ben Simmons is not on that level yet. If he remains healthy, he has the potential for 15 years in the league no questions asked. There’s time – plenty of time – and if it means missing out on an All-Star game or two, so be it.
The price that comes with being the first Australian-born All-Star is enough to propel Simmons’s development, knowing just how close he was to taking to the court with some of the greatest basketball players this generation has witnessed. There is an entire country behind him, after all, rooting for his success and All-Star berth.
It just won’t be this year. Trust the process.
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