2021 NBA Draft Prospect Compares Himself to 76ers' Ben Simmons
Before joining the Philadelphia 76ers as the number one overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Ben Simmons was known as the Australian basketball superstar playing at LSU, who was heavily linked to NBA superstar LeBron James.
At this point, four years into his playing days in Philly, Simmons hasn't quite reached LeBron's level, but he is carving out a mold for himself as a player. And now, there's a young Australian basketball prospect entering the NBA soon that believes he compares to Simmons' game as he approaches the 2021 NBA Draft.
Josh Giddey, an 18-year-old Melbourn-born basketball standout, will likely land on an NBA team for next season. Although he didn't go the NCAA route as his fellow Aussie Simmons did, Giddey does play point guard in the NBL for the Adelaide 36ers.
As the young star hooper fields questions about his game leading up to the draft, which is set to go down this summer, Giddey was asked to compare himself to another current NBA player, to which he responded by choosing the Sixers' three-time All-Star and explained why.
"Right now, in a non-cocky or arrogant way, I’d probably say similar to Ben Simmons. Not just in the fact that we’re big point guards, but the fact that we both love and our strongest asset is playmaking, passing the ball, getting guys looks, getting out in transition, and making stuff happen. I think in a light comparison, I’d put Ben as the guy." (h/t Michael Scott of HoopsHype)
Giddey might not have the same hype surrounding him as Simmons did, and a lot of that could do with the fact that Simmons came to the United States while he was still in High School, which helped him promote his game further. Regardless, Giddey's comparison makes a lot of sense, considering he's on the taller side for the point guard position and prioritizes playmaking over scoring first.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
