In 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers in the depths of the water won Simmons at Louisiana State University with a sign, although he did not have any projection at the time, but Simmons's talent on the organizational and defensive ends still impressed the 76ers, after all, Simmons has a height of 211cm, this height, to the point guard line, has a natural advantage.
But Simmons's rookie season was ruined by injuries, he did not play a game, people can only continue to wait, 17-18 season, Simmons finally returned from injury, the 76 team also gave him an absolute core position, looking forward to him with Embiid and Fultz to lead the 76ers back on track as soon as possible.
However, as we all know, Fultz could not guarantee sufficient attendance due to repeated shoulder injuries, and was eventually abandoned by the 76ers, and giving up Fultz meant that the 76ers had put all their hopes on Simmons and Embiid.
Simmons is also very competitive, he showed absolutely strong strength, he has a strong breakthrough strength, but also can constantly observe the position of teammates when breaking through, there are opportunities to give the ball in time, although it can not provide space support for the team, but it is the top ball-holding fast attack point guard.
In the 17-18 season, the first season simmons officially began playing, he handed over 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists, such an organization and rebounding level, as long as he can practice a little shot, it must be a promising future.
However, in the following seasons, Simmons's projection did not improve at all, and in the regular season, he could still use the pass to drive his teammates, and the team could try to hide his weaknesses. But as soon as the playoffs came, Simmons would be infinitely targeted, and even the team used the "shark cutting" tactic on him, which was fatal to the 76ers.
Especially in the second round of last year's playoffs, the Eagles took advantage of this and finally successfully stepped on the 76ers to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Simmons' performance in this round was disastrous, especially the last three games, when the team needed him most, almost completely invisible, not a single double in three games, and the 76ers and the Eagles played particularly fiercely in the end. But if Simmons can shoot a goal, the result may be completely different.
It is precisely because of such a loss that the management recognizes the reality, Simmons and Embiid are not suitable after all, they both eat too much space, one needs to empty the low position, one needs to empty the basket, so, in the offseason, it broke the news that the 76ers want to trade Simmons, but the 76ers did not deal with the relationship with Simmons, Simmons directly refused to return to the team, the new season has played nearly 30 games, Simmons has not played until now, but even so, his transaction value is still very large , for the following reasons.
The first is the age advantage, Simmons is only 25 years old this year, in the ascendant period, as long as he remains healthy, there will be at least 5-6 years of peak in the future. Although he was targeted miserably in the playoffs, this can not hide the light emitted by Simmons in the regular season, he played for four seasons, won a rookie of the year, 1 steal king, 3 times the player of the week, and was also selected 3 times all-Star and twice the best defensive team, that is, Simmons's performance has long conquered the discerning NBA fans and experts, and his strength is recognized. Looking around, there are only a few point guards in the league who can stabilize Simmons. In addition, he didn't play a game because he was injured, so the team that wanted to trade him didn't have to worry about injury at all.
Second, if there is excellent space support, Simmons is also a good defender to block the attack, as mentioned earlier, Simmons did not shoot, but this does not mean that he can not block the demolition, but he needs a relatively better environment, to have a shooter to stand fixed points, but also require the cover man not to go downhill, to retain enough traction at the top of the arc, so that the defender does not dare to easily empty the cover man's external demolition. As long as the opposing big center can be transferred out of the box, Simmons can eat the vast majority of defenders or forward players raw, after all, there are very few people who can face him at the same time with speed and strength and height.
No matter which team gets Simmons, as long as he is equipped with a qualified group of shooters, then the strength of this team is not weak. That's Simmons' ability as a team core, and he can accomplish a lot of things as an end point. When the big man of the 76ers is not on the floor, Simmons will be used as a center, he can be a downward pie eater, a high and low pie receiver, a low strong eater, and can also respond to the ball at the top of the arc, hand passing the ball, etc., because of his presence, teammates play very smoothly when they open up space. No matter which team he goes to, Simmons can do this because he is exactly the standard of a small center, impeccable athleticism, excellent finishing hand, and 99% of the center's center's passing vision.
Third, that is Simmons's defensive ability, from the first position to the fifth position, he can defend, whether it is single defense or co-defense, Simmons's level is the top of the league, he has not only won the steal king, but also won the second place in the best defensive player evaluation, his steals are clean and neat, will not easily risk giving the opponent an empty position opportunity, and the sense of block position is also outstanding. In today's small-ball era, it means a lot for a team that a point guard can change defenses indefinitely.
It can be said that in addition to shooting, Simmons has almost no shortcomings, and can do a lot of things that ordinary players can't do, and the attendance rate in recent years has remained very good, so it is not surprising that so many teams want to get him. Hopefully, Simmons' affairs can be handled as soon as possible, and as a fan, I want to see him bring more wonderful performances.