Ben Simmons Named NBA All-Star For Second Straight Season

The goal for most young and unproven players in the NBA is to make the All-Star game. While every player who enters the NBA wants to win the NBA Finals as a team, the All-Star game gives every young player a sense of validation.

Last season, Philadelphia 76ers' versatile point guard, Ben Simmons, received his validation for the first time. Although he wasn't voted in as a starter, Simmons found himself selected as a reserve to LeBron James' All-Star team.

This season, Simmons had the opportunity to land in the big game once again. Simmons landed within the top ten for the Eastern Conference guards voting by the fans, but it's tough to call him a fan-favorite based on the results.

After peaking in fifth place for the fan voting after the first wave of results, Simmons ended up taking eighth place when the polls closed. However, the media and the player votes were much more favorable for Simmons.

The third-year guard ranked fourth-overall for the Eastern Conference guard voting by his peers. And the media did Simmons even better by ranking him third. Overall, Simmons placed seventh with a weighted score of 5.75.

It was unclear if Simmons was going to make the big game or not considering the slightly down season he was having in the beginning. As of late, though, Simmons has turned up the intensity and went from being viewed as just an impressive defensive player to an all-around beast on both sides of the ball.

This month, Simmons has averaged just under 40 minutes-per-game. On the offensive side of the ball, he has improved his field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and even points-per-game as he has averaged 21 PPG in January.

While the offensive statistics seem to catch everybody's eyes more, Simmons' talent on defense has been undeniably fantastic, and that hasn't slowed down as his offense improved throughout the season. And because of that, the third-year guard has picked up his second All-Star nod in just three seasons.

Ben Simmons, along with his teammate Joel Embiid will head to Chicago in a couple of weeks to play in the 2020 NBA All-Star game. The game officially airs on Sunday, February 16th, 2020.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. you can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_