The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a disappointing loss on Thursday night at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. However, rookie phenom Ben Simmons managed to record his third triple-double of the 2017-18 NBA season with an impressive line of 12 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds.
Stat-stuffing performances like these have started to become the norm for Simmons, especially in the assists category. According to Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue had high praise for the rookie's passing ability:
Lue praised Simmons' court vision, passing ability, not holding on to the ball too long, getting it to his teammates.
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) December 9, 2017
Simmons' passing prowess has been well-noted since his days at LSU. However, the former first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has undeniably kicked up a notch since taking over the Sixers offense. Not only has he maintained his status as an elite passer, but he has been Philadelphia's go-to playmaker as well.
As a result, he has already been compared to the likes of superstar LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson. All three players are well-regarded as basketball anomalies that can essentially play all five positions on the court. At this point in Simmons' career, it is safe to say he is somewhere in between James and Johnson in terms of passing ability. He is going to need it in order to help the Sixers achieve possibly their biggest win of the season in their upcoming match against the Cavs.
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