NBA Executives Still See Ben Simmons As The New LeBron James

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I think that we can all agree to say that Ben Simmons is a special kind of talent. He was a no-brainer first-overall pick and has shown flashes of all-time greatness. Then again, he's also been exposed year after year and has failed to improve in any aspect of his game.

Simmons made the league as an NBA-ready kind of player and made an immediate impact. He's an outstanding defender who can guard one through five and is one of the best playmakers in the world.

That's why, even if he struggled mightily and could be to blame for some of the Philadelphia 76ers' meltdowns in the playoffs, he's still viewed by some executives as a LeBron James 2.0.

“He has been in the NBA for four seasons. As two NBA executives told me, “He has freakish athletic ability, almost like LeBron James in that area.” They mean a big guy in terms of speed, strength, jumping, etc," reported Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com.

That's why it wouldn't be surprising to see multiple teams try and make a run at him in the offseason, and that's why the Philadelphia 76ers have set a steep price for his services.

Then again, his career average of 14.3 points per game is underwhelming - to say the least - and pretty far from what LeBron James was doing at that point in his career.

Simmons has the upside to become one of the best two-way players in the world if he develops a somewhat consistent jump shot. Hopefully, he'll get there before we think of him as yet another 'what if'.