LSU Coach: Ben Simmons 'Most NBA Ready Player' In 36 Years
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ben Simmons has received his fair share of criticism leading up to last week's NBA Draft.
Despite Simmons' fate coming to fruition as the first overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, skeptics still question his personality, drive, and shooting ability.
"Totally false, by uninformed not very good basketball people," said LSU associate basketball coach Brendan Suhr of Simmons' naysayers.
"In my 36 years involved with the NBA, he's the most ready made player ever to come into the league," Suhr continued. "Ever. I came in with Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird, so since them. How's that?"
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Suhr, 65, is a former NBA assistant coach and also served as a director of player personnel and scout for the New York Knicks. He says Simmons could have started on any NBA team last year as a 19-year-old freshman because of his size, speed -- and most importantly -- his basketball IQ.
"What makes him so ready is that he's 6-foot-10, 240-pounds," Suhr said of Simmons. "He's the fastest player on any floor that he plays on. But more importantly, what separates him, is he's an absolute basketball genius. I go back to Julius Erving and guys of that nature and this guy is in another category of genius. I mean, Bird, Magic, and LeBron [James] now are the only guys that I've really seen at a genius level. And I've coached Isiah Thomas and I think 12, 13 Hall Of Fame players. So, I think I'm a fairly good judge of this.
Listen: Brendan Suhr on the 94WIP Josh Innes Show
"But this kid is at another level of thinking. He's sees things before anyone else does on the court. Most players see the guy who's guarding him, maybe one other. He sees all five guys on the floor at the same time. So, he's an extraordinary talent. He's a past first guy. So people, the make believe evaluators of the world -- not NBA people, make believe media types -- that will see him and say, 'Well jeeze he doesn't shoot enough or anything like that.' Where Villanova wins the National title because Arch [Ryan Arcidiacono] passes the ball. Ben does that, 'Oh jeeze he's gotta take over at the end of the game.' Winning players make winning plays. This guy won three straight national championships in high school playing with the best players. He could have started on any team in professional basketball last year as a freshman."
As a freshman at LSU, Simmons became the first player in SEC history to lead the league in points, rebounds, and assists averaging 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Still, the Tigers finished just 19-14 (11-7), missing the NCAA Tournament something Simmons takes heat for.
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Suhr says the team's struggles were not Simmons' fault.
"So Keith Horsby, who was probably our second player, missed 13 games with two separate sports hernia surgeries," Suhr said. "And then our starting center, Craig Victor -- who is a transfer from Arizona -- missed the first nine games because of eligibility transferring in. So, we basically had two of our five starters missing. We had other issues like any team, but we won 19 games. If we had our full health we're winning 25 to 27 games and everyone is gonna be saying what a great, great team it was."
