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Ben Simmons impresses in Summer League debut before leaving with leg cramps
- Updated: July 5, 2016
(RD)–Ben Simmons showed why he was the no-doubt No. 1 pick in the draft on Monday night.
The Sixers rookie flashed his entire unique skill set in his first summer league game in Utah–delivering “where-did-that-come-from” passes, showing off his prodigious court vision, grabbing boards over bigs and finishing around the rim.
He finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in over 20 minutes of action in a 102-94 loss to the Celtics’ summer squad.
It’s tough to watch the highlights above and not get excited about his prospects of becoming a star in the league. He’s got an amazing ability to see the floor, runs like a gazelle and has outstanding size at 6-10. He looked like an extremely raw, far-less-physically-imposing version of LeBron out there, whipping no-look passes from the point and finding teammates who didn’t even know they were open.
Simmons did leave the game in the fourth with cramps in both legs, and did not return. The Sixers said he won’t play Tuesday either, taking the cautious approach with their star big man.
“We might have been able to put him back in, but on July Fourth, we didn’t need to create those fireworks,” Philadelphia summer coach Billy Lange told ESPN. “We’ve got a long summer league schedule ahead of us, between the rest of this summer league and Vegas. We said yesterday we were going to take it smart from here on out.”
“I’m good,” Simmons told reporters after the game. “Just cramps…It’s been about four months since I played. That’s the main reason. I haven’t played in a while.”
It’s a shame we won’t get the chance to see him again on Tuesday, but he’ll be back in action soon.
Drink up, Ben.
We’ve got a long summer ahead of us.
