Every now and again, a generational player drops into a franchise's hands, it was Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls, Magic Johnson for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Julius Erving for the Philadelphia 76ers, who brought the city a championship in 1983, the year before Jordan broke into the league.
Having seen a myriad of talent through his playing days in the ABA and the NBA, and as a student of the game since his retirement in 1987, Erving noted this Sixers team is creating something special with the arrival of rookie Ben Simmons.
“Once-in-a-decade, maybe once-in-a-lifetime-type player,” Erving said of Simmons, according to ESPN “He’s able to make everybody better immediately each and every time down the floor; guys are spotting up or looking to cut or keying off of triggers that come out of his handling skills.”
The 21-year-old has averaged a ridiculous 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists in his rookie season, doing so without a single made 3-pointer this season and a below-average percentage at the free-throw line, leaving plenty of edges to sharpen through the offseason — yet stating just how scary he already is as a rough product.
“Sometimes it looks like he’s got eyes in the back of his head,” Erving said. “Because he sees and feels one of his guys making a run to the hoop or spotting up at certain positions. That’s just a gifted player that we are very fortunate to have on our team.”
Standing a 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, Simmons combined massive strength and athletic ability with a unique gift for spotting his open teammates and an IQ that can create plays on the fly, whether it is for him to finish or a teammate to cap off.
Shooting a strong 54 percent from the field despite his shooting deficiencies has put him as the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year race, but nothing has made him prouder than the shower of praise coming from Dr. J himself.
“He pretty much built this team up, the name of the Sixers based on the way he played,” Simmons said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s amazing [to hear Erving praised him]. Amazing to hear that.”
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