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Originally Posted by 1teaminlondon
how much higher then that he can achieve idk
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Fun bit of Ben Simmons trivia.. I presume the connection has been well made in the media over there already, but just on the off chance it hasn't already been extensively drawn out:
Head coach of the Sixers Brett Brown began his (professional) coaching career in Australia, picking up an assistant position at NBL franchise the Melbourne Tigers in the 90s. One of the two allowed "imports" on that side was a 6'9", 250lb PF/C from South Bronx and OKC by the name of Dave Simmons. Never really the star of the team (point guard Andrew Gaze was flag-bearer at the Olympics, and his paring with SG Lanard Copeland probably remains the premium 'dynamic duo' of the NBL), he was nonethelss a brilliant team player: capable of dominating if the need was there, but still happy to adjust his game to work with the team on the court, he earned both all-star honours in the league and a championship ring. Brown had left the side after that season to take up a head coaching position at a cross-city rival, but the bball community's pretty tight, and he was still around two years later when Dave's son Ben was born.
If Ben's taken his dad's influence on and can carry that same attitude, he's not only all-star individual talent, but should make a great team player and eventual leader as he matures into his role. It's way too early in his career to make serious predictions on where he'll wind up, but IM(biased)O the building blocks for a game like Lebron or Magic (talking in terms of game style, not necessarily level) are all there.
for hayward tho. didn't deserve it
