Ben Simmons will return at 100% capacity when he resumes the 2019-20 season with the rest of his Philadelphia 76ers teammates. But the Sixers star might be doing so playing a different position.
Simmons has been playing off the ball a lot during practice and experimenting at the power forward spot, according to head coach Brett Brown. Shake Milton has since taken over as the starting point guard at recent practices.
Brown acknowledged it was his decision to run with Simmons as a point guard, considering the Sixers didn't have a “Chris Paul” or a “Damian Lillard” running the point when he first took the floor in 2017:
“It was my decision. ‘You take the ball. We're gonna make you the point guard,'” Brown said in response to a question from Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It's not like he came in and there was an established point guard that he had to bump out.”
Ben Simmons is an All-Star point guard. But I consider him an All-Universe point forward. He’s been practicing at PF down at Disney. I asked Brett Brown did he have to sell the #Sixers standout on the move. Here’s his response: pic.twitter.com/TU7CyOuscH
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 13, 2020
Brown noted he has “zero regrets” in making Simmons the point guard and noted the adjustment is to make the most of Simmons' ability.
This in a way an admission of guilt, as the Ben Simmons at point guard experiment for the Sixers has run into roadblocks, even with his All-Star production.
Simmons has been asked to shoot from outside more, but he has always done it minimally. Despite robust all-around numbers, having a point guard who can't shoot has been a problem at times, especially on the road when the Sixers need a shotmaker down the stretch.
Moving Milton — a more capable albeit streaky shooter — to the point guard position would allow for better spacing, while Simmons is still able to make plays without crowding a vital backcourt.
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