The comparisons can’t be denied. No one has, actually. Even LeBron James made it clear that he sees himself in Ben Simmons every time he watches him play. Both James and Simmons are big point guards in the mold of Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers legend who came into the league as the biggest playmaker the league has seen. James at 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, and Simmons at 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, are built like power forwards but their instincts coerce them to play otherwise.
Moments after the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 at the Quicken Loans Arena, James was praising his rookie counterpart for the umpteenth time with his “like father, like son” comments on social media.
“I told y'all a while back that my young King was next in line! Getting better and better every night out! Tonight another example of that,” James wrote on his Instagram account. “Fun to watch and compete against you again and [The Process, Joel Embiid]. Remember lil bro settle for nothing less than GREATNESS!!!”
The King and the Young King of the NBA.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfz04rYhrEQ/?taken-by=kingjames
King James has been the dominant force of his generation for almost a decade now that it’s hard to remember a time when he was struggling to make it to the NBA Finals much less win a championship. Throughout his career, he has shown the ability to be a triple threat with his scoring, passing, and rebounding. In fact, led the league in triple-doubles for three consecutive seasons (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11).
Simmons has a knack for filling out the box score in the same way. He has six triple-doubles as a rookie and may yet surpass Magic Johnson’s rookie record of seven for a freshman before his first season is over.
But let’s not compare Simmons with an older, wiser James. Let’s see how the Young King stacks up against a rookie King James to see who’s better.
Scoring
At 20.9 points per game, rookie James was a terrific scorer and better than Simmons who currently averages 16.6 points. A rookie averaging more than 16 points a night is a very good one, but when compared to the King, Simmons is far from being the scorer that James was.
In that first year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James scored 25 points in his first NBA game. He had 13 games of 30 points or more with a high of 41 points against the New Jersey Nets, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 40.
Simmons, on the other hand, only has two 30-point games in his first 59 games with the highest at 32 points versus the Chicago Bulls. While Simmons has some of the tools that could make him a better scorer someday, his scoring ability is hampered by the fact that his team has several players such as Joel Embiid and J.J. Redick to carry the load for him. James did not have that luxury.
Even so, James showed the ability to be a big-time scorer and took over games when he wanted to in his first year more than Simmons has displayed so far.
Edge: James
Passing
Simmons is by far the better passer of the two as freshmen. Though James would become one of the best passing forwards the league has ever seen, Simmons is already one of the top assist men, ranking number six among all players. That’s impressive for a rookie.
James had six games in 2003-04 in which he had double-figure assists but Simmons already has 13 with the season far from over. Of course, today it can be argued that LeBron James is a superior passer, but with the Cavaliers he had to carry his rookie year, scoring was a bigger priority.
Edge: Simmons
Rebounding
James is a small forward in a power forward’s body but Simmons, while also a small forward, is as tall as many centers in the league these days. That height advantage makes him one of the better rebounders in the league and easily distances himself from the 18-year old James.
At 5.5 rebounds, James was just an average rebounder for his position but Simmons’ 7.7 average is one of the best among all small forwards in the league this season.
Edge: Simmons
Versatility:
A young King James was starting at the shooting guard position before transitioning to point guard more than a few games later. He didn’t play the point while at the small forward position full time until the following year. With his size, James was able to play small forward and a few times at the power forward spot during a game.
Simmons is already running the point similar to what James had done. He can play any of the five positions with ease though shooting guard is a problem since his range is limited to drives and short jumpers. He hasn’t attempted a single three-pointer this late in the year.
Both players can play multiple positions and, despite their youth, can be effective in any of them. Though the Philadelphia rookie can play center better than his Cleveland counterpart, James can play the two-guard spot with ease. James and Simmons are known for their versatility, so this may be the toughest category to judge. That said…
Edge: Slight edge given to James who had the more diverse offensive set, even at the time.
Defense:
Rookie James and Simmons have similar steals and blocks numbers and it’s hard to argue one is better than the other.
James faced some of the best swingmen in the game in Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter and was able to hold his own against them.
This early, Simmons has demonstrated that he can be a dominant force defensively. With his long arms, he can protect the paint and give shooters fits trying to shoot over him.
Edge: None (Tie)
Averages
LeBron James
20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks per game; 41.7% FG, 29% 3-pt FG, 75.4% FT
Ben Simmons
16.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.9 blocks per game; 53.3% FG, N/A 3-pt FG, 57.1% FT
About the only things that James is better at statistically than Simmons are his scoring, his free-throw shooting, and his three-point shooting. Simmons loses completely with three-point field goal averages since he hasn’t attempted any. To be fair, he knows his limitations and doesn’t shoot anywhere he isn’t capable of making a shot.
James’ points-rebounds-assists average is noteworthy as he joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only rookies to average at least 20-5-5. Tyreke Evans would later join them in this elite club.
Simmons, on the other hand, is on pace to join Robertson and Johnson as the only rookies to average at least 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. If the Australia native maintains these nightly averages, he will have better overall numbers than the Cavs rookie.
Edge: Simmons
Accomplishments:
James was selected to play in the Rookie Challenge at the 2004 All-Star Weekend and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. He was a unanimous selection to the All-Rookie First Team and took home the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month all six months of the 2003-04 season.
Simmons was a starter for the Rising Stars World Team at the 2018 All-Star Weekend. He has won three of the last four Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors and may yet win the last two. There’s a big chance that he’ll be named Rookie of the Year but he has stiff competition in the form of Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell just as James had to hold off the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony.
Depending on whether Simmons wins the Rookie of the Year award or not, James has the edge in this category for the meantime.
Edge: James (for now)
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that James is a better player than Simmons today but when comparing their rookie seasons, it’s hard to believe that the latter is a better rookie. Given that the Cavs won 18 more games from the season before because of his presence. James didn’t have the benefit of having a dominant center like Embiid to help him.
The Sixers have won 11 more games at this point in the season than the year before and that’s also due to Simmons’ brilliance. Even with the presence of his All-Star teammate, the Sixers are a better team than a season ago because of their new point guard.
If the roles and the situations were reversed between the two, it’s possible that the stats could be reversed as well. But we have to look at their performances individually and at this point, Simmons is better than the rookie version of James.
Interestingly, it wouldn’t bother James at all that Simmons is playing better than he did. In a piece written by Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated, James had this to say of the young stud:
“‘You have an opportunity,’ James told Simmons early on, ‘to be better than me. But you can’t skip steps. You have to do the work.’ Those words helped sustain [Simmons] when he stumbled at LSU and helped fuel him as he rehabbed in Philadelphia. ‘Is this really going to happen?’ he asked himself. He knew, even if others wavered, that it would. Because LeBron said so, and for a prospect of Simmons’s vintage, no endorsement means more. ‘Part of his greatness,’ Simmons says, ‘is that he wants others to be just as great.’”
Simmons is having a greater rookie season that James did. And the King couldn’t be happier.
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