Pretty much ever since Ben Simmons burst onto the basketball scene as a youngster, comparisons to LeBron James were always the easiest thing. A big point guard who moves faster in the open court than anyone else and possesses an incredible vision and passing ability made it very easy to compare Simmons to James. But just because it’s easy doesn’t make it wrong. And while Simmons has had his own struggles, mostly due to injury over the past few years, his newest teammate believes the comparison is just.
New 76ers center and former Lakers center Dwight Howard was asked about the Simmons-James comparisons, which he believes are very apt, according to Ky Carlin of the SixersWire.
“It’s a very real comparison, and I’ve been seeing this for a couple years,” said Howard on Wednesday. “Ben Simmons is a young LeBron who’s developing an overall game. I love the way he plays, I love how unselfish he is, and how mean he can be to other teams and that’s important. When you have your point guard coming down, dunking on people, flexing, getting big rebounds, talking trash, doing all those things, it drives you to want to be better.”
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“Watching him over the years, I see it,” Howard added. “He has an opportunity to be one of the greatest to ever play the game, and I’m glad I have the opportunity to actually give him some things that can help him along the way.”
Simmons and the Sixers have some increased expectations after hiring new head coach Doc Rivers, as well as some of the other moves made by new President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey.
