Brad Stevens Gushes About Rookie Ben Simmons Before Celtics-76ers
Ben Simmons shot 29 free throws during Wednesday night’s win over the Washington Wizards, and while some people might find the hack-a-Simmons strategy boring, Brad Stevens couldn’t look away.
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are the future of the Eastern Conference, and before they tipped off at TD Garden on Thursday night, Stevens gave a glowing review of the 76ers star rookie, noting his poise while being sent to the line time after time Wednesday.
“We’ve used that deal before where you foul somebody and send them to the line,” Stevens said. “But (Wednesday night) was probably the most unique I’ve ever seen. For some reason I was glued to my TV, you know, like everybody else was. But, you know, I give him a lot of credit, he didn’t change his demeanor once. He stepped up, and by the end of it, he was knocking them in two for two each time.
“That’s the hard part. You give a good player a rhythm, he sees the ball go through the net, good things happen for him. Obviously, it worked for Washington to get back in it. Not because he was necessarily missing two, but they were scoring two or three. Obviously, he’s a heck of a player.”
Simmons finished Wednesday’s win with 31 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 15 of 29 at the charity stripe.
The LSU product’s game has drawn comparisons to LeBron James through 20 NBA games. While that is a tad premature, Simmons has shown that he has a skill set worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, and the responsibility to make sure Philadelphia’s process is an overwhelming success.
