Aside from LeBron James leading a yoga class at the recently completed Nike Basketball Academy, everyone who was in attendance seemed to be focused on the performance of five-star LSU signee Ben Simmons.
Simmons has been the top-ranked prospect in the 2015 class for a little over a year now, by most services, but he took the opportunity at the Academy to remind players, coaches, and scouts alike why he is just such a special talent.
Watched LSU’s Ben Simmons for 3 straight days at the Nike Basketball Academy. He’s ridiculous. Simmons has versatile talent rarely seen.
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) June 30, 2015
While Skal Labissiere has recently been the most talked about prospect associated with the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons stole the spotlight, as evidenced by the Bilas tweet above.
What makes him so attractive to NBA scouts is his versatility, sure, but even more so for his basketball IQ. In an age where positions mean less and less, finding players that can affect the game with their mind as much as their athletic ability is being placed at a premium. Front offices around the league are looking for their next Draymond Green or Andre Iguodala, two cerebral talents that assisted the Golden State Warriors in winning their NBA Finals title.
As for what all this means for LSU next season, the Tigers’ faithful were already excited about one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. Now, the buzz has once again picked up across the college basketball landscape, as Johnny Jones’ group could be Kentucky’s top challenger in a revitalized SEC.
