Okay, here’s my take on Ben Simmons’ rookie season, kinda like reliving it myself, ya know?
Alright, so let’s talk about Ben Simmons’ rookie year. Man, remember all the hype? The dude was supposed to be the next big thing, and after sitting out a whole year due to that foot thing – fractured metatarsal they called it – the expectations were through the roof. I was glued to the TV, ready to see what this guy could do.
First thing that struck me was his size and playmaking ability. This dude was a point guard in a power forward’s body. Crazy court vision, always looking to pass, a real floor general. I was thinking, “This is gonna be fun to watch.”
I remember pouring over the stats. 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game. Those are some serious numbers for a rookie. You could see the impact he had on the team, just making everyone around him better. The Sixers were finally becoming watchable again, and a big part of that was because of Simmons.
Of course, everyone was talking about his shot, or lack thereof. That three-point percentage… ouch. 13.9%? You can’t hide from that, and people weren’t. I’d sit there yelling at the tv, “Shoot the damn ball, Ben!”
But honestly, I didn’t care that much. He was doing so many other things well. He was rebounding, pushing the pace, finding open teammates, and playing pretty good defense. I figured the shooting would come with time. Wrong!
Remember the games against Boston in the playoffs that year? That was a real eye-opener. You could see he was getting exposed a bit because of that lack of a jumper. Still, it was his rookie year, you know? Gotta give him time to develop.
In the end, he won Rookie of the Year, and deservedly so. No one else was even close, really. I started thinking they really were on the right track, with Embiid dominating inside and Simmons running the offense.
I watched practically every game that season, soaking it all in. It felt like the start of something special.
Looking back, it’s easy to point out the flaws and the things that went wrong later on. But in that rookie season? Man, there was so much potential. It’s a shame how things played out, but that’s another story for another time.