Ben Simmons (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
We have seen the first glance of the 2016 NBA rookies and now the final grades are out from the experts.
One of the more divisive issues in the pre-season tournament was the assessment on Ben Simmons. Being the first overall pick, he will be faced with massive expectations. There are some who believe that he has managed to fulfill and even exceed them, but Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider thought his performance was underwhelming.
"Though he earned a spot on the All-NBA Summer League First Team, I'm not sure Simmons was actually one of the five best rookies on the court. He had more turnovers (21) than field goals (18) in his three games in Las Vegas (Simmons also played two games in the Utah Jazz summer league, which don't count here) and shot 41 percent from the field," Pelton said.
Simmons making it to the First team was rather controversial. There were other players who made waves, and noticeably absent is D'Angelo Russell of the LA Lakers as noted by Silver Screen and Roll.
"Russell not making either of the teams is kind of disappointing given how well he played, but there are only ten spots and most of the players on the list were rewarded at least in part due to their team's success." This was questionable, however, because Simmons made it to the first team despite the Sixers getting booted out in Round 2 like the Lakers.
Pelton's verdict on Simmons: "Like Emmanuel Mudiay last year, Simmons showed more promise than production, which is OK for a 19-year-old rookie."
Russell, last year's 2nd overall pick, looked utterly clueless in his summer league debut last year. Thus, Simmons performance was not really disappointing in comparison.
The top rookie in Summer League was undoubtedly Kris Dunn of the Minnesota Timberwolves. "Dunn was far and away the most productive rookie in Vegas," Pelton declared. "He had 48 points in his two appearances and shot 18-of-29 (62.1 percent) on 2-point attempts, living in the paint."
Unfortunately, Dunn suffered a concussion in his second game and had to sit the rest of the tournament but he already left a lasting impression. More importantly, he was able to play with fellow point guard Tyus Jones. It was probably part of an experiment for Coach Tom Thibodeau as he wanted to see if Dunn can play alongside Ricky Rubio or Zach Lavine.
