The 2020 NBA All-Star reserves were named Thursday night and Sixers’ fans were happy to see two names on the list.
G/F Ben Simmons will be accompanying center Joel Embiid at the festivities on February 16th. It will be Simmons’ second all-star appearance, being his second straight as well.
Simmons joins a team full of NBA players having great years in the Eastern Conference:
Simmons is averaging 16.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 0.6 blocks, and a league-leading 2.2 steals per game, and has the best True Shooting Percentage (59.9%) of his career. While Joel Embiid was recently sidelined with a finger injury, Simmons stepped up when the Sixers’ needed it most. Looking back on just his last ten games, the 6’10 guard has averaged 21.1 points per game, along with nearly eight rebounds and seven assists per night.
Simmon’s stellar defense contributes to his all-star role as well. He leads all NBA starters with 2.2 steals per game. His defense has led the way, allowing players like Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid to open up offensively.
Ben has opened up and grown as a player all around. Simply by using the eye test, Simmons has exploded into a skill set we haven’t seen before.
And, of course, how could we forget his prolific first career three-pointer?
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
