Lakers Draft Prospects: Ben Simmons Breakdown

Breaking down possible Lakers pick and 2016 NBA Draft prospect Ben Simmons

The 2016 NBA Draft is largely a crapshoot for the Los Angeles Lakers at this point. Even though they still maintain the second-worst record in the NBA at 11-45, the Lakers still are at risk of losing their first-round draft pick as it’s only top-3 protected. If the Ping-Pong balls don’t fall their way, there’s a possibility that the Lakers will have to send their pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.

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However, there is also still at least a decent chance that the lottery falls in favor of the Lakers as there’s a 55.8 percent chance that they wind up with a pick in the top-3 and a 19.9 percent chance that the Lakers get the No. 1-overall pick. If the latter is the way that things fortunately fall for LA, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that they would take LSU Tigers freshman Ben Simmons.

Simmons is the consensus best player in the 2016 NBA Draft and rightfully so. The Aussie transport now residing in Baton Rouge occupied that position before the season ever began and has only furthered that perception as his freshman season has moved forward.

However, it’s more than just the stats—no matter how impressive averaging 19.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists is for a college power forward—that make Simmons such a special NBA prospect. He also has tremendous upside at just 19 years old.

So, in the interest of optimism for the Lakers, let’s take a deep dive into Simmons as an NBA prospect, breaking down his offense, defense, physical tools, and his fit with the Lakers.

Next: Physical Tools