No matter position, Simmons centerpiece of 76ers’ offense

The Philadelphia 76ers took the Australian with the No. 1 pick on Thursday night, making him the first of a record 14 worldwide players chosen in the first round.

Ben Simmons answers questions during an interview after being selected as the number one pick overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 23, 2016, in NY.

Saric played two years for Anadolu Efes.

If he’s healthy, the 6-11 Embiid has the potential to be that dominant low-post player.

The son of Melbourne Tigers great David Simmons told The Dan Patrick Show he was summarily put in his place by the NBA Finals MVP. “There are a few people on this team you can touch and wrap your arms around”. After Simmons said this, LeBron responded by turning his phone’s camera onto the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

It was the King’s flawless: “welcome to the major league, rookie”.

“Not only for me but also for my family and Australian basketball” Simmons emphasized.

“Getting out and running, that is something we want to do”, Brown said. “He’s a facilitator, he’s a distributor, he’s a scorer, he’s a rebounder”.

“He’s going to make everyone on the floor better”. With their second pick of the first round they drafted Luwawu, a 21-year-old 6-6 small forward. Projections focused on a half-dozen different players and possibly a trade, each possibility surely changing the course of the entire draft. The Sixers are flush with big men, and Simmons is just another big body. Where Simmons shines the brightest is his ability to get to the basket and finish amongst the bigs, which was seen throughout his college season at LSU.

Simmons said he was under no illusions that the journey back to respectability would be a long one for the 76ers, but was adamant it was one he was prepared to put in the work to walk.

Asked what he can do and where he can fit in, the 242-pound Simmons replied, “From forward to point guard, I believe I can play anywhere”. I’m happy the Sixers chose me.

The Celtics drafted not one, but two foreign players in the first round of the 2016 draft.

Could the foreign flavor also be rooted in the Warriors’ style of play?

Watching them face off on television may be as close as most Australian fans get to the young stars for now, but Simmons was heavily in favour of bringing an National Basketball Association game down under.

Obviously the exchange was all in good fun, and Simmons can learn a lot about the kind of pressure he will be going through from James. “I’m the ideal example. I’m definitely in the right situation”.

Others selected were Georgios Papagiannis of Greece (13th-Phoenix); Spain’s Juan Hernangomez (15th-Denver); France’s Guerschon Yabusele (16th-Boston); Ante Zizic of Croatia (23rd-Boston); Timothe Luwawu of France (24th-Philadelphia); Turkey’s Furkan Korkmaz (26th-Philadelphia); Pascal Siakam of Cameroon (27-Toronto), and Haitian Skal Labissiere (28th-Phoenix).

“You just get anxious, you get nervous”, said Dunn.