Ben Simmons is set to compete in his second All-Star Game in Chicago as he'll take the floor as part of Team LeBron.
In his first All-Star appearance last season, the Aussie finished with 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting in just under 17 minutes of action.
Despite the relative turmoil in Philadelphia for a 76ers team that has thus far underachieved, it's impossible to deny that Simmons has once again performed at an All-Star level and is deserving of the All-Star honour.
Let's go by the numbers to help articulate just how good Simmons has been so far this season.
216 - Deflections
The biggest leap that Simmons has made this season has come on the defensive end, where he's emerged as a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Not only does he lead the league in steals, he's also first in deflections, which further illustrates his ability to disrupt anything and everything. The fact that at 6'10" he has the ability to cause so much chaos shouldn't go understated.
Only three other players in NBA history 6'10" or taller have ever averaged over two steals per game. Simmons could become the first player that tall to lead the entire league in steals.
| Season | Player | Steals | Height |
| 2019-20 | Ben Simmons | 2.2 | 6'10" |
| 1993-94 | Tom Gugliotta | 2.2 | 6'10" |
| 1991-92 | David Robinson | 2.3 | 7'1" |
| 1989-90 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 2.1 | 7'0" |
| 1988-89 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 2.6 | 7'0" |
| 1987-88 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 2.1 | 7'0" |
His development into a versatile stopper capable of legitimately guarding all five positions could further elevate the ceiling for a player still just scratching the surface of his potential.
+7.0 - Scoring increase
In Philadelphia's first game after the calendar flipped to 2020, Simmons poured in 29 points on what at the time was a season-high 20 shots. Although the 76ers lost that game to the Houston Rockets, it proved to be a turning point of sorts for Simmons, who has looked like a completely different player since.
Over his first 34 games, Simmons averaged just 14.5 points per game, which was over two fewer than last season when he earned his first trip to the All-Star Game. Over that span, he had just one 25-point game, which ranked fifth on the team and was fewer than the likes of Nemanja Bjelica, Ish Smith, Jordan McRae and Garrett Temple to name a few.
Scoring isn't everything, particularly in the case of Simmons, but that's not great.
Then came that game against Houston which ignited a torrid stretch. In 19 games since, he's averaging 21.5 points per game, an increase of 7.0 PPG from before the calendar flipped to 2020. While 10 of those games came without Joel Embiid in the lineup, he also has three 25-point games over that span alongside his fellow All-Star teammate.
He's actively playing a larger role in the offense, shooting more often and getting to the line more frequently.
60 - Secondary assists
He's long been one of the best passers in the league and this year is no exception.
While Simmons ranks fifth in the NBA in assists per game, he actually ranks third in potential assists per game as the 76ers take over 16 shots per game directly off his passes, a figure which trails only LeBron James and Trae Young.
One of the beautiful aspects of Ben's passing is that he sees the pass before the pass like few others.
The secondary assist - or hockey assist - is a pass that leads to a pass which leads to a made shot. They don't show up in the box score, but they're indicative of a player knowing how to move the ball quickly and find teammates in positions where they can then exploit the D.
So far this season, he has 60 of them, which leads the entire league and is nearly twice as many as anyone else on the 76ers.
The unselfish playmaking is a major reason why Simmons should be a desirable teammate this upcoming weekend in Chicago as he's a threat to wrack up the dimes.
The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.
