Should it be Simmons or Ingram for 76ers?

The NBA draft is today, and there is a topic of debate swarming around concerning whether the lowly 76ers should pick Ben Simmons of LSU or Brandon Ingram of Duke.

I’ll cut right to the point: The 76ers should select Simmons, even though there are a good chunk of reasons that they might lean Ingram. First of all, they are both labeled as small forwards, though Simmons will most certainly be able to thrive as a power forward, due to his bulky 260-pound frame, while Ingram is a string-bean-like 195 pounds.

One of the most valuable traits a player can possess in today’s NBA is positional versatility and playmaking ability, and those are two of Simmons’ highest selling points. He averaged 19.2 PPG, 11.8 RPG and 4.8 APG, showcasing an ability to play big as well as distribute the ball to the tune of almost 5 assists as a forward.

Ingram could certainly develop his skills as a playmaker and morph into a solid one, but there is very little chance he will ever climb up to Simmons’ level as a set-up man for his teammates.

One of Ingram’s advantages over Simmons is his jump shot. Simmons only attempted three 3-pointers all season, connecting on only one of them. The fact that Simmons obviously has little confidence in his jump shot is a pretty big concern considering the emphasis for shooting these days.

Ingram, however, connected on a sparkling 41% of his three-point attempts, displaying a clean stroke and the drive to let it fly way more than Simmons. The three pointer is such a weapon these days that players who are not comfortable with shooting from so far out better be darn good at every other aspect of the game, and Simmons fits that bill.

On the defensive end, Ingram is considered the better defender, but his skinny frame will get exposed and smart players will back him all the way into the post and simply wear him down physically. Bullying Simmons looks to be a much tougher task. His sculpted frame won’t get bullied easily and I think he will become a solid defender, while Ingram has to rely on gaining a few pounds.

Age-wise, Ingram holds a nice advantage, seeing he is only 18 and Simmons is almost 20 years-old, there is more time for him to mold into a superstar player. At this stage though, the difference in age is relatively minor. Both players went through the rigors of college basketball and both will be rookies; young rookies.

Concerning athleticism, both players project to be physical freaks, but I see so much of LeBron in Simmons in that they both have broke jump shots, but are exceptional at all other aspects. I’m not saying Simmons will turn into LeBron, but that he has many of the same traits as James when he came into the league. Ingram has a hawk-like wingspan at 7’3 where Simmons falls just short at a still sprawling 7’0.

Between the two, Simmons is also the safer pick. With Ingram, if absolutely everything turns out 100% right he could maybe become the next Kevin Durant, but he could also be like Wesley Johnson, someone with tantalizing physical abilities, but never got strong enough to improve in other facets of the game. For Simmons, it seems his worst case is Lamar Odom, who was an all-star. Players who can play multiple positions and pass will always be able to have substantive roles in this league.

Bottom-line, I believe both players are going to carve out star careers, but Simmons is a jump shot away from being as close as a player can get these days to LeBron.