Through the first couple of weeks of his rookie campaign, Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons has raised plenty of eyebrows around the league with his play on the court. That fine play has also translated favorably to his numbers.
According to Basketball-Reference, Simmons has cracked the list of rookies with a player efficiency rating of 20 or higher while playing 30 or more minutes, a list which includes a handful of Hall-of-Fame talents.
Ben Simmons has a PER of 20 in 34 MPG. If he keeps that up, it'd put him in pretty impressive company. Full list: https://t.co/FbmFbTy8C2 pic.twitter.com/9c3JoYOB1K
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) November 10, 2017
The 21-year-old has been everything and more for the 76ers in his first campaign, leading his team to an encouraging 6-6 start through the first 12 games. Simmons has been highly productive over that stretch averaging 17.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game.
This includes Simmons notching double-figure scoring in each contest with seven double-doubles and a pair of triple-doubles, which currently rank tied for third in the league with Houston Rockets star guard James Harden. His seven double-doubles in his first 10 career games are second-most behind Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal (10) in league history.
Simmons also joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in becoming the second NBA player to start their career with 10-straight games with at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He also was the second player behind Roberston to record at least 100 rebounds and 80 assists in any 10-game span during their rookie campaign.
He has proven to be a game-changing talent with his passing ability and has been able to be a dependable scorer despite questions about his scoring ability. If Simmons continues this upward progression, there could many more huge performances ahead while helping lift the 76ers back into relevancy in the league.
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