College Basketball: Top 4 Players At Each Position

Nov 23, 2015; Brooklyn , NY, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) drives to the net during the second half against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Barclays Center. Marquette won 81-80. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Simmons, LSU PF

An NBA-ready freshman was a huge get for third-year head coach Johnny Jones and the LSU Tigers. While it is yet to translate into big wins for the program, the 6’ 10”, 225-lb Ben Simmons has largely lived up to the hype. In fact, Jones has been treating Simmons as more of a point forward, letting the offense run through him anywhere on the floor. He’s responded by dishing out 6.4 assists a game. If that doesn’t impress you, consider the rest of Simmons’ stat line: 20 points and 17 – yes 17 – boards per. Not to mention he’s somehow found time to collect 2.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.

Simmons is an absolute beast, whether he’s throwing down in transition, chucking no-look alley-oop passes, or just all-around dominating his opposition thus far. Granted, LSU is only one game over .500 with losses to Marquette, NC State and Charleston, and it will be interesting to see how Simmons performs against stiffer competition in the SEC. With enough growth on the defensive end, Simmons will probably still garner enough national attention despite being on a bad team to see some sort of honor or recognition. Even if he doesn’t manage to pull LSU into the tournament discussion, he will still almost assuredly be a top-five pick in the NBA draft when he decides to come out.

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