Julius Erving Says Ben Simmons May Be a 'Once-in-a-Lifetime-Type Player'

Basketball Hall of Famer Julius "Dr. J" Erving gave a glowing assessment of Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons on Tuesday.

According to ESPN.com, Erving said the following of the 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick out of LSU: "Once-in-a-decade, maybe once-in-a-lifetime-type player. He's able to make everybody better immediately each and every time down the floor; guys are spotting up or looking to cut or keying off of triggers that come out of his handling skills."

Simmons helped lead the Sixers to a 121-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in only 25 minutes.

After missing all of 2016-17 due to a broken right foot, Simmons is a leading Rookie of the Year candidate this season. The Aussie is averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the field.

Despite being listed at 6'10", Simmons plays point guard for the Sixers, and he has been one of the NBA's best distributors this season.

Erving commented on that fact, saying: "Sometimes it looks like he's got eyes in the back of his head because he sees and feels one of his guys making a run to the hoop or spotting up at certain positions. That's just a gifted player that we are very fortunate to have on our team [Erving played on the Sixers from 1976–1987]."

Perhaps most impressively, Simmons' strong play has helped lead Philadelphia to an 11-game winning streak and a 47-30 record. The 76ers are fourth in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers by only a half-game for third.

The Sixers are already guaranteed to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12.