1. Ben Simmons, Point Guard
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Original Draft Slot: 1
There’s no reason for the Philadelphia 76ers to stray from their original first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. They originally selected the former LSU Tigers one-and-done 6-foot-10 point forward Ben Simmons. That pick brought the Sixers really nothing but positive results in the last three seasons.
Last year, Simmons was a first-time NBA All-Star selection. That is added to his growing mantle of accolades and awards that also includes 2017-18 All-Rookie First-Team honors and the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year honors. He seems to be only making his game more dynamic and working into a star role with the Sixers at point guard.
The comparisons between Simmons and superstar forward LeBron James kept rolling in as he improved his game. But there’s such a long way to go before Simmons could be even mentioned in the same breadth as “King James”. The two-way nature and improving shooting tendencies are both characteristics that LeBron had early in his NBA career.
Last offseason, the Sixers made the move to sign Simmons to his first max contract extension. He could be around for a while in Philly, and that makes sense given his rapid rate of development on both ends of the floor. Simmons already has more than 20 career win shares, in just under two and a half seasons in the NBA, and a 19.7 player efficiency rating.
Mind you that Simmons didn’t even play in his first season in the NBA after he was drafted in 2016. He made his NBA debut during the 2017-18 regular season.