Dwight Howard on Ben Simmons: I Believe He's the NBA's Best Defensive Player

The Philadelphia 76ers racked up their fourth win in their last five games on Thursday with a 111-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks with point guard Ben Simmons picking up some major praise in the process. 

After Simmons held Luka Doncic to 19 points—nine below his season average—Sixers reserve Dwight Howard called the guard the best defender in the league.  

“I believe he’s the best defensive player in the league right now," Howard told reporters.

Howard would know a thing or two about that distinction.

The veteran won three straight Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2009-2011, has earned NBA All-Defensive First Team four times and NBA All-Defensive Second Team once. For a solid stretch of his career, no player was tougher to score against than Howard. 

He sees that same tenacity in Simmons' game this year. 

The 24-year-old has a defensive rating of 109.0, according to NBA.com, which tracks the number of points allowed per 100 possessions. Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley leads all starters with more than 15 games in defensive rating at 99.7, by comparison. 

Yet as Howard noted, Simmons' build and athleticism allows him to become a matchup nightmare for opponents. 

He can play big and in the post against guys like Rudy Gobert, Jayson Tatum and LeBron James, or he can guard the backcourt against the likes of Doncic, Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving. Under head coach Doc Rivers, Simmons is thriving as a disrupter on defense without compromising on offense. 

Howard believes that's enough to put him in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Watching how Simmons impacts the floor, it's hard to disagree.