Penndemonium
PhD Student
Posts: 1899
Reg: 11-29-04
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02-25-17 02:08 AM - Post#223476
In response to Stuart Suss
Thanks to Stuart Suss for forwarding the game link. I just watched it. I sort of advanced quickly through it to skip timeouts and slow play - and missed some of the action.
My observations are that Simmons is a very athletic big. He reminds me very much of Koko Archibong as a Freshman or Sophomore. He has quickness, can run the floor, and has some pretty good skills. He scored on drives from the top of the key, made some post moves, and had a steal which he drove down the court for a slam. The area where I thought he was much stronger in than I expected was his passing. His passes were crisp and he had good vision.
The main concern I have for Simmons is that he didn't really show himself as a physical presence. He was 2-3 inches taller than anyone on the floor, and he picked his spots as to when to impose himself on the game. He didn't have a constant motor, didn't seek contact on rebounds, and didn't box out that well. At 6'8 or so, he won't be the tallest guy on the floor in the ivies, and I'm not sure if he'll be ready to fill that starting slot.
My suggestions for him would be
1) always have his hands up on defense. It makes an amazing difference in clogging up the passing lanes, stopping penetration, and creating position on rebounds. Even when resting, just keep those hands up!
2) Gain a lot of glute and upper body strength. Simmons is not physical enough yet to be a starter in the Ivies. He had a ton of rebounds in the game, but he would not be a rebounding force in the ivies right now. AJ is going to kill him in practice unless he gets way more physical and active.
3) Be a lot more aggressive. He was a star of the game, but he showed skills and athleticism to be even more of a force.
Simmons has great potential. I hope he has a growth curve and work ethic like Koko. While he doesn't look like an ivy starter today, he seems ahead of where Koko was as a Freshman. Simmons could be a bigger star if he works hard enough on his game.
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