Brett Brown: It was Simmons all along
Coach Brett Brown and the 76ers did their due diligence in evaluating draft prospects. But there was little question that Louisiana State forward Ben Simmons would be the No. 1 pick, a less-than-startling admission that Brown made shortly after the selection was announced.
Coach Brett Brown and the 76ers did their due diligence in evaluating draft prospects. But there was little question that Louisiana State forward Ben Simmons would be the No. 1 pick, a less-than-startling admission that Brown made shortly after the selection was announced.
"We have known about this pick for a while," Brown said Thursday night at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the team's practice facility.
The connection between Brown and Simmons has been well-documented. Brown coached Simmons' father, David, in Australia, and has known Ben Simmons for many years. So when the pick finally became official, Brown finally got to exhale.
"I think it is small element of relief, a huge element of excitement for our city," Brown said. "When you look at what Ben brings to the table in regards to size, skill, and versatility, it is exciting and goes to a new level to me."
For years to come, Simmons and Duke forward Brandon Ingram, who was chosen No. 2 by the Los Angeles Lakers, will always be linked.
"I think Brandon is going to end up being a great player," Brown said. "You are going to see him over the years putting on weight."
The one plus in Ingram's favor over Simmons is his perimeter game. Ingram shot 41 percent from three-point range. Simmons attempted only three three-pointers last season.
Ingram "has the luxury right from the get-go that he can shoot," Brown said.
Still, that wasn't enough to sway the Sixers' opinion.
"We just felt for us that Ben's versatility and physicality, combined with how we feel we can grow his skill package, especially his shooting, is going to make him different, very different," Brown said.
So it didn't appear to be a difficult decision for the Sixers.
"It was a decision we were comfortable with," Brown said. "And personally I look forward to coaching him."
Brown said that what impressed him most about Simmons is that he lived up to the hype last season. His LSU team failed to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament, but he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
When asked at what point he thought Simmons could be the No. 1 overall pick, Brown said he felt that way from the beginning of the college season.
"I think for me at the start of the season when you saw him physically and his skill package . . . he held that mantle the entire year," Brown said. "Never once did he leave the expected first pick, and that doesn't happen very often. And for me, I knew it at the start of his LSU season."
Simmons plans to justify that decision, although he vows not to succumb to the pressure of being the No. 1 pick in the draft.
"I just play and have to keep my focus, and I can't worry too much about the pressure, and that is how you lose focus," Simmons said on a conference call with reporters. "I am excited to get to Philly and get to work."
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