It took almost the entirety of the Summer League, but Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, the first two overall picks in this year’s draft, came out and played how everyone expected them to. Simmons was playing his usual game, assisting and rebounding primarily, but he was able to be a scoring force against the Heat. Ingram, who was cold for the last couple of games, showed the complete offensive game versus the Jazz that made him a highly-touted prospect.
Brandon Ingram, 22p-5r-4a
The 22 points Ingram scored were a Summer League best for him, and he did so by showcasing a very effective shot from mid-range and downtown. He finished 9/13 overall and 2/3 from deep, but also had just one bucket from inside the restricted area — that came off a steal and was a breakaway dunk. However, he looked very comfortable with his back to the basket and elevated over shorter defenders with no issues at all. His playmaking skills also looked decent, as Ingram had a few drop off passes to teammates around the basket for easy buckets.
Ben Simmons, 15p-10r-6a
He might be right-handed. Despite Simmons knocking down two jump shots, an anomaly with how he shoots from outside, he finished multiple layups with his right hand on the left side of the basket. Whether it’s a big deal or not remains to be seen, but Simmons’ game against the Heat was right in line with his other games. He attacked the glass, made some flashy passes, committed a bunch of turnovers, and shot a poor percentage. Nothing new, except he put up his first double-double the day after Isiah Thomas got on his case for sitting out two-straight games.
Data courtesy of NBA.com
Follow me on Twitter
