What Kind of NBA Team Can Actually Build Around Ben Simmons?
The Ben Simmons trade saga took another turn Tuesday, with multiple reports suggesting fit issues were fueling his desire to leave the Philadelphia 76ers.
"People who have intimate knowledge of how he sees this situation continue to insist that he's done playing with [center Joel] Embiid," Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Tuesday morning. "There's nothing personal about this choice, it seems, but the 25-year-old Simmons has clearly decided that his career is better off without Embiid blocking the runways in the paint that he so badly needs to succeed."
Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer echoed that report later in the day.
"League sources say the primary motivation for Klutch Sports' aggressive holdout is to steer him to a team built around him on offense," he wrote. "No matter the roster makeup in Philly, he will only ever be No. 2 as long as Embiid is healthy."
Simmons' fit with Embiid has never been ideal. His reluctance to attempt jump shots limits his effectiveness in half-court settings, as the Sixers often run their offense through Embiid. Since Simmons isn't a threat to punish opponents with open jumpers, defenders often sag off him and divert more attention to Embiid or one of his other teammates.
The breaking point between Simmons and the Sixers came when he passed up a wide-open dunk in Game 7 of their second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. Negative postgame comments from Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers didn't help matters, and Philadelphia spent most of the offseason attempting to trade him.
Now as the season nears, Simmons has decided to hold out until the Sixers trade him. While teams may be trying to lowball the Sixers in the hope that their price will drop as his holdout becomes a bigger distraction, they should instead focus on the upside of what Simmons could become elsewhere.
Re-Imagining Simmons
Simmons won't ever be the offensive focal point in Philadelphia, but that doesn't mean he can't be elsewhere.
With Embiid out of the lineup last year against the Utah Jazz, Simmons had a career night with 42 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. The big fella's absence enabled him to attack in multiple ways offensively.
As usual, he continued to be a freight train in transition. Here, he took advantage of the Jazz's turnover, pushing the ball upcourt and splitting the defense on his way to a powerful dunk:
That isn't anything new from Simmons. He's at his best when he can get out on the break.
Against the Jazz, Simmons also showed his ability to attack in half-court settings. The Sixers cleared out, and he attacked Royce O'Neale off the dribble on his way to a jumper in the paint:
Simmons used his speed when the Jazz defended him with bigs. First, he blew by Rudy Gobert on his way to the cup. Then he broke the play by faking the dribble hand-off and attacked Derrick Favors for the and-1:
When the Jazz put wing players on him, he casually worked them down to the post. In the clip below, he walked Bojan Bogdanovic down until he got in range for an easy jump hook:
Without Embiid on the court, Simmons becomes more than just a transition dynamo. A team built around him could make him a completely different player in the half court.
The Precedent
Simmons wouldn't be the first player to leave a team and thrive in a new role. Last season, Jerami Grant went from being a role player for the Denver Nuggets to the No. 1 option for the Detroit Pistons.
The ceiling for someone getting traded and becoming a new player is James Harden.
After three years coming off the bench in Oklahoma City, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets ahead of the 2012-13 season. He was coming off winning the Sixth Man of the Year award and could not come to terms on an extension with the Thunder.
The trade to Houston changed everything for Harden. He not only became a starter for the Rockets but also the primary ball-handler.
He went from averaging 16.8 points during his final season in OKC to 25.9 in his first year with Houston. More importantly, his usage rate jumped from 21.6 to 29.0, and it hasn't fallen below 27.8 since. It was all history from there as he launched into stardom.
Being given an opportunity to make a Harden-like rise away from Embiid could be just what Simmons needs. So, where might those opportunities be?
How to Build Around Simmons
Simmons has yet to be on a team that was completely devoted to building around him. Organizations should look at the success the Milwaukee Bucks have had building around Giannis Antetokounmpo. It is important to note the differences between the two players, though.
Antetokounmpo is more physically imposing than Simmons, has a more aggressive mindset and is not afraid to fail. Simmons is a better passer than Antetokounmpo by a wide margin, a better ball-handler and is a better defender on the perimeter as well.
To build successfully around Simmons, a team should follow the Bucks' blueprint.
The first order of business is creating space on the floor. Adding shooters is a must with Simmons' lack of a mid-range game. Ideally, all four players on the court would fit that mold. However, a big man who can operate out of the dunker spot with three other shooters would make this work.
A secondary ball-handler who can create his own shot and run the pick-and-roll is also vital. This would open up the offense from being so heliocentric on Simmons. This also would allow the team to use him as a roller.
One more piece to consider is a big man who can defend the paint. Sharing the floor with Embiid allowed Simmons to be overly aggressive on the perimeter. Having another big man who could provide that help would go along away.
Finally, the most important piece would be a closer. Even though Simmons would be the primary playmaker, he cannot be the closer. His unwillingness to shoot outside the paint and poor free-throw percentage make him ineligible. It is not that different from Khris Middleton taking over for the Bucks in close games.
Handing the keys to Simmons only works if the team is built around him properly. The Sixers are well-constructed but built for Embiid, not Simmons.
Potential Landing Spots
The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are teams still looking for a centerpiece.
For Houston, this would be its second chance to trade for Simmons, and adding him now would accelerate the rebuilding process. The Rockets would still have some work to do to build around Simmons, but they would have a central building block.
It is very unlikely this trade would happen with John Wall as the centerpiece. It will likely cost Houston a young player like Jalen Green or Kevin Porter Jr. as well as draft capital.
The Spurs are an interesting team for Simmons, and they have been in search of a star since Kawhi Leonard forced his way out of town. There are several different packages San Antonio can put together with guys such as Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Lonnie Walker IV all potentially available.
San Antonio with Simmons would have some of the key pieces highlighted earlier.
Jakob Poeltl made a leap defensively last year, as the Spurs had a defensive rating of 109 when he was on the floor, three points lower than their 112 season average. The bigger issue will be the need to add shooters since the Spurs lost two of their three best three-point shooters when Rudy Gay and Patty Mills left in free agency.
One thing that must be considered is Simmons' appetite to go from a contender to a rebuilder.
Who Should Hand Simmons the Keys?
Three teams in particular should consider making a big move for Simmons: the Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
Washington is in a difficult position. With Bradley Beal's player option coming up at the end of this season, the Wizards have to impress him. Pairing Simmons with him is a start.
A package centered around Spencer Dinwiddie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and draft picks could be enough to get the Sixers to move. Since Dinwiddie signed in free agency, this trade couldn't happen until Dec. 15.
Last season, Russell Westbrook had a usage rate of 29.5 percent, second to Beal's 33.1 percent. Simmons can take over Westbrook's usage, and it would be a jump for him from the 20 percent he had last season.
In addition, the team's defense would be appreciably better than it was last season. After a slow start last year, Washington's defensive rating rose to be 20th. With Simmons, a full season of Daniel Gafford's shot-blocking and Rui Hachimura on the wing, the defense could take a major leap.
Sacramento and Portland were both horrific defensively last season. The Blazers finished with a defensive rating of 115.3, which ranked 29th leaguewide, and the Kings were dead last at 116.5.
Sacramento would need to build a trade package around De'Aaron Fox for the deal to make sense for both sides. Amick reported the Kings aren't willing to include either Fox or Tyrese Haliburton in trade talks for Simmons, but they're in the midst of a 15-year playoff drought. It might be time for them to make a drastic move.
With Simmons as their primary ball-handler, Haliburton as the secondary playmaker, Buddy Hield bombing away from deep and Richaun Holmes playing center, the Kings would be vastly improved. Pairing him with defensive-minded rookie guard Davion Mitchell would ensure they became more stifling on that end of the court, too.
The Kings would likely take a slight step back offensively without Fox's 25.2 points per game. However, Simmons would make up for it with his ability to create for others, especially threes.
Fox assisted on 357 three-pointers over the last two seasons, per PBPStats.com, whereas Simmons assisted on 434. Simmons' mark ranked fourth leaguewide, trailing only Luka Doncic, Westbrook and Damian Lillard.
The Blazers should also be interested in acquiring Simmons. Using Lillard as the centerpiece appears unlikely, but it could make sense if his offseason frustration boils over.
If the Blazers did include Lillard in trade talks, they'd be in a position to ask for more since they'd be giving up the better player. They should be able to get back multiple draft picks and/or another young player like Tyrese Maxey.
A Simmons-led Blazers team could be potent offensively. CJ McCollum could serve as a closer at the end of games while still getting multiple open looks. Norman Powell and former Sixers wing Robert Covington would serve as complementary scorers and three-point threats. Center Jusuf Nurkic could play more out of the dunker spot, where he'd have plenty of finishing opportunities and defend the bigs of the West.
Replacing Lillard with Simmons would drastically improve Portland's defense, too. He finished as the runner-up to Gobert in this past season's Defensive Player of the Year race, as he's one of the few players who can guard any position 1-5. The Sixers have also ranked in the 70th percentile or higher in defensive rating with Simmons on the floor in three of the last four seasons, per Cleaning the Glass.
Simmons has never had the chance to be the No. 1 option of an NBA team. Getting traded to the Blazers or Kings could give him that opportunity.
With a usage rate closer to 30, Simmons would be able to create for others more frequently. That isn't possible when he's playing alongside Embiid, who's gobbling up a ton of possessions on his own.
Simmons wouldn't have that luxury if he gets traded to Minnesota and teams up with Karl-Anthony Towns or goes to Golden State and joins Stephen Curry. Those teams would likely put him in a similar role as the one he plays in Philadelphia, which would prevent him from fully showcasing his skill set.
Simmons has been given some tools to succeed, but never the whole toolbox. A chance to play as a team's focal point might finally turn him into the player that many thought he could be when the Sixers took him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2016.
Mo Dakhil spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers and two years with the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator, as well as three years with the Australian men's national team. Follow him on Twitter, @MoDakhil_NBA.
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