Ben Simmons leads the Sixers past the Warriors | Film review

To the tune of 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a block, Ben Simmons was able to put his imprint all over the 76ers' 113-104 win over the reigning champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

Simmons put on a performance that naysayers will be forced to take into account when harping on his lack of a jump shot. That’s not to say that Simmons doesn’t need to develop a game that extends beyond 10 feet, because he does. But, even without being a scoring threat from outside, Simmons dismantled Warriors.

From transition plays to cutting into seams, and from behind-the-back passes to blocking Stephen Curry from at the three-point line, Simmons did it all in what Brett Brown called the best game of Simmons' career.

On the day that he was named an NBA all star, Simmons started the game off with a steal:

It was in the opening moments of the game, and this play ended with Wilson Chandler, not completely ready for the strength of Simmons pass, losing the ball out of bounds, but it was a foreshadowing moment. It was Simmons' defense that was the so obviously a problem for the Warriors.

When you look at a boxscore and see that in the loss, Stephen Curry hit 10 threes and finished the night with a game-high 41 points it might not seem like he was given much of a fight, but he hit tough shots and had to make up for the cold shooting night from the rest of the Warriors. That being said, if there is one way to deter Curry from hitting threes it’s to put the outstreched arms of 6-foot-10 Simmons in his way.

Curry completely missed on this attempt with Simmons in front of him.

Then on this later possession, with the Warriors trailing by just seven points and less than two minutes to play, Simmons blocked Curry’s shot, preventing the Warriors from getting within striking distance.

Before that key block on Curry, Simmons already had his hands all over the game. Although he didn’t score from farther than eight feet away from the basket, his 10 made field goals came on a wide array of plays. He had putbacks, and transition dunks, received a lob from T.J. McConnell, and was able to work the post.

Simmons has been able to work more from the block with Brown putting more point duties not only into the hands of McConnell and sometimes Landry Shamet, but also Jimmy Butler. This is a shining spot for Simmons where his size and strength are so valuable that it can’t be overlooked.

He makes backing down Andre Iguodala and scoring over him look easy. And, even when he’s up against double teams or larger players he has the floor vision and ability to be a distributer from the post.

Sometimes Simmons even manages to make being a distributor look easy.

This is actually a good time to mention Simmons' growth as a passer. There were times during his rookie year where he would drive at full speed into traffic without having a plan should his shot not be there, but he’s cut down on those types of plays, and he has become more precise. Even when he takes a beat, it’s usually for good reason, as you can see here when Simmons lets the defense choose to guard JJ Redick over Wilson Chandler.

There were plenty other highlights from the Sixers win over the Warriors, but it was undoubtedly a showcase for Simmons and a reminder of how he has become an All-Star in just his second NBA season.