Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson, who established himself as one of the league’s best players during his long, colorful NBA career, was recently all praises for rookie Ben Simmons. In Zoo’s Views podcast, the former Most Valuable Player recently shared his thoughts on the new Sixers’ rookie sensation. Iverson said:
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“I see someone who is a great player far beyond his age,” Iverson said when asked about Simmons. “You don’t usually see a player with that mindset. The athletic ability, you see it all the time, but his mindset, he plays the game the right way.”
More than the mindset that Simmons possesses at this young age, Iverson observed that the Aussie point forward is getting better with every single game that he plays.
” You can tell he gets better all the time. You can see when people try to take things from him, he still gets it done.”
The most recent proof of Simmons’ extraordinary capabilities came in their win against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The 21-year-old Sixer logged in another impressive triple-double: 11 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds.
Per Keith Pompey of Philly.com, Simmons said:
“That was probably the easiest triple-double I’ve had because they were hot. My teammates were hot,” he said. “Finding guys, if they are sagging off me, I’m just going to find my guy, set a screen. He’s wide-open.
So the reason it seems easy for me is because they make it easy for me.”
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In his young NBA career, Simmons is no stranger to praises. He is aware of his potential but knows that he has a long way to go.
“It’s kind of surreal,” he said of being mentioned with all-time greats. “I think during the season it’s kind of hard to take it all in and accept what’s happening and appreciate it because so much is going on.
“We are worrying about playoffs and winning games. It’s surreal to hear things like that. But I have a long way to go.”
