The 2016 NBA Draft is still a long way off, but even this early, there is already someone who has earned the nod to being the top pick.
He goes by the name of Bill Simmons, a freshman over at LSU expected to be among the rookie hopefuls vying for a possible NBA stint.
Right now, the 19-year-old native from Melbourne, Australia has been making big hops. He has certainly made an impression, capped by his ability to handle the ball despite a towering height of 6-foot-10.
Right now, he has been putting up eye-popping numbers. As per Bleacher Report, Simmons is putting up 18.7 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks an outing.
Simmons’ versatility has allowed him to be among the rank of few big men who can possibly play the point, calling to mind the years when Earvin “Magic” Johnson was able to play practically guard and center.
Speaking of Magic, there is a chance that the Los Angeles Lakers could end up with Simmons. Having the second-worst record in the NBA right now, the Lakers have a 19.9 percent chance of possibly owning the top pick next year. In fact, retirement-bound Kobe Bryant seems to be taking notice.
“He’s a fantastic player,” says Bryant via The Daily News. “He obviously has a tremendous amount of potential.”
One glaring concern about Simmons is that he doesn’t seem to be armed with a jump shot.
Such has been observed by critics and scouts, with Simmons normally bulldozing his way inside and making a living near the basket. With that as his obvious cup of tea, opposing teams don’t even bother to guard him from the outside.
While this could work for Simmons now, the story will undoubtedly be entirely different in the NBA. This would make him predictable and easy to stop. That plus the fact that he will be facing tougher and bigger veteran NBA players may require him to start developing a jump shot at least.
Would this impair his chances of being selected in 2016? There are some who believe he will eventually be told to work on it.
There are current players such as Jimmy Butler and DeMarre Carroll who entered the NBA without a decent jump shot though they worked on it and have a good one now.
Simmons may want to start working on that right now since it seems improbable that he can do the same things he is doing right now in the pros.
Once he adds a jump shot, such should make Simmons a fierce player, possibly the second coming of “Magic” Johnson if the Lakers are fortunate enough to land him next year.