Ben Simmons will be a superstar. That’s the consensus about him as a 5-star recruit in high school and college. Alas, it did not happen due to injuries. Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets might be the one to fulfill that for him, at least according to an NBA analyst.
Simmons is a point guard who arrived in the league in 2016. Together with Joel Embiid, he turned the Philadelphia 76ers franchise around, making them legit contenders in each season they are healthy.
He did achieve a level of stardom after by winning the 2018 Rookie of the Year Award and making it to the All-NBA Third Team in 2020. He also became an All-Star for three straight seasons (2019 to 2021).
Problem was he was bothered by injuries. He is currently unemployed with the NBA 2025-26 opening just a few weeks away.
Thompson getting compared to Simmons is not out of nowhere although they have obvious differences. Simmons is 6’10 while the Rockets player is 6’7. The Australian plays point forward while the 2023 fourth overall pick is more of shooting guard and small forward.
Of course, Thompson is only in his third year and that means big room for improvement.
Amen Thompson can be a better Ben Simmons
Rockets lost their main point guard Fred VanVleet this summer after tearing his ACL and he will be out for the rest of the season. Thompsom, along with Reed Sheppard, is projected to take the point guard role.
Brad Botkin of CBS Sports thinks this should be a way for Thompson to hone his point guard skills and maybe emulate Simmons.
“It’s not that Thompson isn’t destined for stardom as an off-ball player,” Botkin wrote.
“He is. It’s just that in that role, he feels like a younger version of older Andre Iguodala. With control of an offense, he screams Simmons. The physical comps are undeniable. Tremendously gifted athletes with elite positional size to dominate defensively, pilot fast breaks, and attack the paint as either finisher or facilitator.”
Botkin noted that like Simmons, Thompson has a problem with his outside shooting. He can avoid the path the former 76ers star went to if he will deal with it as early as now.
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