Lakers Draft Prospects: Ben Simmons Breakdown

Physical Tools

What jumps off of the page when you talk about Simmons as a prospect is his height and build in relation to the skills that he shows. The LSU freshman stands at 6-10 and with a strong, NBA-ready frame. However, what’s more impressive than just that is the fact that Simmons is able to move so fluid and in control of his body at that size, something that’s become increasingly rare for players that big at his age.

Simmons is an absolute freak athlete, which plays into the control that he has over his body. The freshman forward seems to get that aspect of his arsenal downplayed to a certain degree when he gets lofty comparisons to the likes of LeBron James because he’s not on that level of athleticism. However, his speed and the fact that he posted a 41.5-inch max vertical before the season when working with LSU shows what he’s capable of as an athlete.

You can see his full athletic arsenal in regards to his quickness and leaping ability when he shows that he can make plays like this off of the perimeter driving into the lane:

If there’s one knock on Simmons in regards to what he brings to the table physically, it’s the fact that his wingspan isn’t particularly wowing for a player his size, measuring in at 7-0.25 in that regard. However, if that’s really the only knock on the young man, that speaks volumes about what an impressive prospect he is just in terms of his physical makeup.

Next: Offensive Breakdown