Lakers Draft Prospects: Ben Simmons Breakdown

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Feb 17, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) reacts late during the second half of a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Alabama defeated LSU 76-69. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Mental Makeup

There are plenty of people around the league who question the mentality of Ben Simmons considering what he’s shown throughout his first season with LSU. He sometimes isn’t present on big possessions late in games and obviously his reluctance to shoot his jump shot are somewhat concerning to people. Though his opinion doesn’t hold much clout unless you love hot takes, Skip Bayless of ESPN also says that the freshman lacks “fire.”

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However, I see much of this criticism as completely invalid, though. If you’ll recall Andrew Wiggins coming into the 2014 NBA Draft, there were plenty of people who questioned his willingness to take over on the floor and similar criticisms that Simmons is now receiving. While Wiggins may not completely have the “alpha-dog” gene in his makeup as a player, but he did show that much of what scouts saw as a potential weakness in college was a product of Bill Self’s system at Kansas and the role Wiggins played.

Though LSU certainly isn’t Kansas, I don’t think the coaching in Baton Rouge has been particularly sound this season and think that it could be a similar situation happening in regards to Simmons. When he jumps to the pro level, I don’t see any issue with Simmons making the transition to the NBA from a mental standpoint.

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