Lillard Stats – 8:09 mins | 10 pts | 3-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 1 ast | 1 TO

Still, Fox was able to beat Simmons off the dribble occasionally, although Simmons’ length still bothered Fox even when he beat him. Simmons is one of the few defenders in the NBA with the quickness to keep up with Fox. He blew by every defender on the Sixers not named Ben Simmons or Matisse Thybulle, who actually played some pretty good defense on Fox as well. His ability to get anywhere off the dribble is elite. Kings - De’Aaron Foxįox Stats – 4:40 mins | 5 pts | 2-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 ast | 0 TO Also, without Embiid in the lineup, Simmons added some much-needed rim protection before the team went to zone. Along with Matisse Thybulle, Simmons was very active and his length bothered the Pacers at the top of the 2-3 zone. Simmons did not match up with one Pacer player for a majority of the game, but Simmons was instrumental in the stifling zone played in the fourth-quarter comeback. This was also the game Beal scored 59 points (not guarded by Simmons much), so any Westbrook shot was a great sight for Sixers fans. Pretty much every possession with Simmons as the primary defender ended with Westbrook settling for a long 2 or 3 off the dribble, shots the defense loves to see. Westbrook was very aggressive when anyone other than Simmons guarded him, a recurring theme with all players on this list. Westbrook Stats – 7:21 mins | 5 pts | 2-9 FG | 0-2 FT | 6 ast | 3 TO 6, Sixers vs. Wizards - Russell Westbrook Even when Simmons went over screens, Fultz couldn’t create much separation.

Fultz was forced to settle for mostly jumpers against Simmons, which is a win for the defense every time. When Simmons has the luxury to go under screens, opposing ballhandlers have no chance to get to the rim. Being a poor 3-point shooter is a death sentence against Simmons, who went under almost every screen against Fultz. Simmons was not interested in letting Fultz show up his old team. Magic - Markelle Fultzįultz Stats – 4:54 mins | 3 pts | 1-6 FG | 1-1 FT | 1 ast | 1 TO Ben is one of the few defenders in the NBA who has both the size and speed to cover Siakam, and it showed in this game. Siakam had very little success the few times he tried to drive on Simmons as well. Six of Siakam’s field goal attempts against Simmons were 3s, most of which were Siakam settling instead of trying to attack the rim. Siakam had some success against other Sixers’ defenders but couldn’t do much against Simmons. Siakam Stats – 7:02 mins | 7 pts | 3-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 ast | 1 TO is probably still seeing Ben sprinting at him in his nightmares. Ben blocked one of Barrett’s 3s and nearly blocked another two or three. Simmons was extremely active in this game against Barrett, particularly by shutting down drives and closing out hard on 3-point shots. Barrettīarrett Stats – 6:28 mins | 4 pts | 1-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 0 ast | 2 TO The stats for each player shown below are while guarded by Simmons in that game. While the defensive stats look great for Ben, I also watched each shot defended by Ben by each player and broke down what makes Simmons such an elite defender on any offensive player. The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the NBA’s top two-way forces in Ben Simmons. Simmons can disrupt the passing lanes, slide his feet quickly, contest 3-pointers, provide help defense, and read-contest drives.

Speed demons like Fox, elite shooters like Lillard, crafty creators like Doncic, and lengthy forwards like Siakam all struggle against Ben.īen not only shuts down his man, but also defends effectively in a variety of ways. Barrett, Pascal Siakam, Markelle Fultz, Russell Westbrook, the entire Pacers’ team, De’Aaron Fox, Damian Lillard, and Luka Doncic all have in common? You guessed it, they all have been shut down by the NBA’s most versatile defender, Ben Simmons.

Ben simmons stats