NewsBite

Ben Simmons LSU reaction after loss: Reggie Miller questions Australian future superstar

WITH one questionable play, Australia’s future NBA No. 1 draft pick Ben Simmons became the most talked about athlete in America.

Tyson OttoTyson Otto
@tottodtsport
4 min read
November 25, 2015 - 7:38AM
Melbourne United v Louisiana State University at Dandenong.
Melbourne United v Louisiana State University at Dandenong.

BEN Simmons did everything but get Louisiana State University a win against Marquette today, but he made one glaring mistake in the defeat that has people talking.

The 19-year-old from Melbourne was the best on court in the 81-80 loss to the Golden Eagles at the Barclays Centre in New York, but it was his decision to step back when the game was there to be won that has dominated conversations about the expected No. 1 pick for next year’s NBA Draft.

Simmons lit up the court with a game-high 21 points and 20 rebounds, provided seven assists, while capturing two steals for his team.

It wasn’t enough to please everybody.

REGGIE MILLER - ‘I WANTED KILLER INSTINCT’

You can’t please everyone.
You can’t please everyone.

BEN Simmons tasted defeat for the first time in his college career after his team gave up a late fourth quarter lead to Marquette.

LSU took the lead for the first time of the game with just 21 seconds to play thanks to a Simmons driving layup before it gave up two free-throws and failed to hit a match-winning jump shot on the buzzer.

LSU guard Jalyn Patterson’s last second three-point attempt thunked off the rim, but it was the fact that Simmons wasn’t the go-to-guy for the crucial play that had people talking.

Indiana Pacers legend Reggier Miller said he was disappointed Simmons didn’t take the match-winning shot.

Miller wasn’t the only former player who wanted to see Simmons step-up.

Former Chicago Bulls point guard Jay Williams told ESPN, the best players stand tall when the pressure rises.

SIMMONS IS THE NEXT LEBRON

Try and stop me.
Try and stop me.

USUALLY any kind of comparison with LeBron James is an incredible accolade, but Ben Simmons has received some tough scrutiny for passing the ball when the game was there to be won.

James has an unfair reputation of failing to take the tough shot when the game is on the line.

Simmons decision to pass the ball twice in LSU’s final play of the game has some concerned he might not have the attitude required to be a champion.

Simmons coach Johnny Jones said the final play confusion wasn’t Simmons fault.

He said the Aussie was again the best on court.

“As a team, we can’t ask him to put up those kinds of numbers night in and night out,” Jones said.

“We have to make sure we carry our weight across the board and allow Ben to be able to make sure that he can come in. He was forced tonight to put himself in a position tonight to get 21 and 20 to give us an opportunity. We have too many guys out there.

“I thought Ben played an excellent game with a sense of urgency when it was needed.”

SIMMONS IS THE REAL DEAL

Even in defeat it was the Ben Simmons show
Even in defeat it was the Ben Simmons show

IN one play Ben Simmons yet again added even more hype to the promising career he has ahead.

What a play.

Late in the first quarter Simmons rebounded a long-range shot before racing up court, wrong-footing a defender with a neat jink just outside the three-point line before driving hard to the bucket and reaching from range to throw down a powerful right-handed dunk.

Even better, Simmons gave the goofy-looking defender a classic stare down after the bucket to let him know how foolish he’d just been made to look.

It wasn’t his only highlight for the night.

LSU fans were gushing again a few minutes later when Simmons showed he can also be deadly as a creator by tossing up a sweet alley-oop pass just before half time.

SIMMONS HAS A DEFENSIVE PROBLEM

Some say he’s the next LeBron James.
Some say he’s the next LeBron James.

BEN Simmons has been tarnished with a reputation of a player who has regular defensive lapses and he put his hand up to acknowledge those issues straight after the loss to Marquette.

Simmons said he needed to be more of a presence in the key to stop LSU giving away easy baskets.

“I think I let them score too much,” Simmons said after the game.

“It was too easy for them inside the post. They’re the main things for me.

“My main purpose is to rebound and be big in the paint.

“It’s another team we have to beat, but clearly we didn’t do that, but I think it was a good lesson for the team. We’d rather lose now than later. For now, it’s just a learning curve.”

NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony from DraftExpress told SNY.tv Simmons still made a statement in his fourth College hoops appearance despite looking shaky at the defensive end.

“I think there’s still a lot of college basketball left to be played out, but I think Ben Simmons made a major statement tonight without a question,” Givony said.

“You know the limitations are still the same limitations.

“He doesn’t always bring it on defence, and we don’t know if he can shoot. He still has not taken a single three-point shot all season and that cost him there at the end.

“And it cost him a lot during the game when they were just playing 10 feet off him, he wasn’t able to punish them. In the NBA that’s a real problem. At LSU that’s not so much of a problem because they can put him at the five.

“I think he showed a lot of the same things that we know.

“He’s an elite passer, he’s a tremendous ball-handler, he’s phenomenal in transition, he’s incredibly versatile for his size. He’s a great rebounder.”

SIMMONS IS A SCOUT’S DREAM

He’s the next big thing.
He’s the next big thing.

AN NBA Scout has declared Simmons is the type of player that will be the best of his generation.

With a reported 51 NBA scouts and officials watching the LSU-Marquette clash, one unidentified team scout said Simmons’ defensive errors aren’t seen by draft experts as a major concern.

“One of the best I have ever seen, a generational player,” the NBA scout told SNY.tv.

“He can defend when he focuses and applies himself. We did not see a perimeter jumper tonight.

Simmons, the son of New York-born NBL star forward Dave Simmons, is tipped to be the No.1 pick in next year’s NBA draft. If he reaches such status, he would become an instant multi-millionaire with a $US6 million ($A8.35 million) first-year NBA salary and millions more in other endorsements.

— with AAP.

Originally published as Ben Simmons LSU reaction after loss: Reggie Miller questions Australian future superstar

Read related topics:Ben Simmons
More related stories

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/american-sports/ben-simmons-lsu-reaction-after-loss-reggie-miller-questions-australian-future-superstar/news-story/c0b2ed7639afcc569bf1598e4aa345f5