The Philadelphia 76ers are losing, but there is a silver lining in rookie Ben Simmons. In the 76Ers' 128-94 loss to the Toronto Raptors Saturday night, it was Simmons who led them as he tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. This stat line helped him become only the second player in the history of the NBA to record 10+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in each of his first three games. The first man to accomplish this feat is Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
That is excellent news for the 76ers because it means that Simmons has the potential to be an elite player in the NBA.
The 76ers selected the 21-year-old with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, in a team scrimmage in 2016, he suffered multiple foot injuries that forced him to miss what could have been his rookie year (2016-17 season). However, now that Simmons is back in action, he is proving that the 76ers made the right decision when they drafted him.
Helping Ben
The Philadelphia 76ers played the Toronto Raptors without Joel Embiid, who is yet to receive clearance for back-to-backs. Despite this, Ben Simmons received ample help. Aside from him, three other 76ers scored in double figures. Following Simmons when it came to scoring was the veteran Jerryd Bayless who had 16 points.
Reserves Justin Anderson and Jahlil Okafor also assisted Simmons on offense.
Anderson had 12 points in 17 minutes of action for the 76ers, while Okafor added 10. Dario Saric failed to reach double-digits, but similar to Anderson and Okafor, he was an offensive spark off the bench. The Rookie of the Year candidate last season contributed nine points.
Raptors leaders
If the Philadelphia 76ers had four players who scored in double-digits, the Toronto Raptors had six.
Three of them were from the starting lineup, while the other three came off the bench. DeMar DeRozan top-scored for the Raptors with 30 points. DeRozan's fellow starters Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry chipped in 21 and 17 points respectively. Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl were the leaders of the Raptors' second unit as they registered 14 points apiece.
Lucas Nogueira recorded 10 points.
Next games
Up next for Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers is another road game. On Monday, the 76ers will be in the Motor City to take on the Detroit Pistons. Philly is seeking for its first win after falling in three outings. The Toronto Raptors, on the other hand, will begin a six-game Western Conference road trip when they face the San Antonio Spurs on Monday as well.
