His Philadelphia Sixers might have fallen to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Monday, but that doesn’t take anything away from what rookie Ben Simmons continues to accomplish.
Simmons tallied 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the 113-103 loss. In doing so, he joined Michael Jordan in some elite rookie company. In fact, Simmons is the first rookie in the NBA to put up 40-plus points and 20-plus assists in his first two postseason games since MJ all the way back in 1984-85.
Ben Simmons is the first rookie to have 40+ points and 20+ assists in the first two games of the playoffs since…ah ok pic.twitter.com/txIuykN2wm
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) April 17, 2018
That’s not just some random stat right there. Instead, it tells us a story of a player that has made a dramatic difference for his team. In Game 2 on Monday, he scored or assisted on over 40 percent of the Sixers’ points. That came on the heels of a Game 1 performance that saw Simmons put up 17 points and a whopping 14 assists.
It’s not a coincidence that the Sixers have won 17 of their past 18 games. Simmons is doing things we have not seen from a rookie since His Airness. That’s insane stuff right there.