College basketball: An evaluation of Ben Simmons versus Skal Labissiere

Tuesday night Ben Simmons (yellow) and Skal Labissiere, the number 1 and 2 recruits in the country last season squared off.On Tuesday, number one draft prospect according to DraftExpress.com, Ben Simmons, went up against NBA factory Kentucky, including the number five draft prospect, Skal Labissiere, in a clash of potential one and done big men.While Simmons is more than living up to the hype that had ESPN comparing him to Magic Johnson and LeBron James during the game, Labissiere has had a tougher go of his college career so far.Simmons came in as the unquestioned best player on the Lousiana State (LSU) team and has been afforded the ability to play freely, without minutes restrictions. On the other hand, Skal is on a team that features two other players in Draft Express’s top 25 and has trouble acclimating himself to the college game.In a game that LSU beat Kentucky 85-67, both Simmons and Labissiere were usurped as the best players in the game by Tim Quarterman who finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Both Simmons and Labissiere missed a good chunk of game time in the first half with early foul trouble, putting a damper on the matchup, and when they were in, they rarely guarded each other.

#1 Ben Simmons on offense

Ben Simmons best skill is still his passing, which is great for a guard, no less a big man.

On the offensive end, it was a quiet day for Simmons in both the scoring and passing department, as Kentucky did everything they could to keep the ball out of his hands. He finished the game with 14 points (5-5 from the field, 4-6 from the line), 3 assists, and 2 turnovers, an efficient but quiet assignment compared to his recent string of 20 point games.

The sad thing about watching him on offense on Tuesday was that LSU seemed fine with letting Kentucky take Simmons out of the game, as there were would-be strings of possessions where they rarely looked to even give him the ball.

Simmons didn’t let this put a damper on his effort, as he was perfect from the field, including putting the dagger in Kentucky late, going 1-on-1 for a layup, followed up with some great work in the post for a short hook, then a follow up offensive rebound and dunk to seal the blowout.

While finding it tough to get the ball in the post due to Kentucky double teams, he did a great job of getting the ball on the perimeter and attacking his defender 1 on 1, drawing fouls on three separate occasions. He also, flashed his expert passing, dishing three fabulous assists, including two beautiful back door assists in each half.

#2 Skal on offense

Right now, Skal has a ways to go before he does more than just dunk on offense.

I am going to put this out there right now, it is hard to be a big man at Kentucky. Even their last two big men who went number one in the NBA Draft, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns, averaged around 13 points per game and had to spread out touches with their many other high caliber teammates.

Now I am not putting Labissiere in their stratosphere at all, but it can explain somewhat why Skal was almost invisible on offense on Tuesday. With the Kentucky guards doing much of the shooting, he was left to set screens and hope for lobs or offensive rebounds.

Skal seems to be all legs, and it was noticeable when he went to set screens as it took him awhile to get into a position where he had a low center of gravity and then again took him awhile to get out of that position and roll to the basket.

Where he did do a good job was when he was along the baseline, lurking behind the defense and searching for an open crack to step up and catch a pass for a dunk. When he did get the ball in a straight up post situation, he seemed to panic a little as the LSU defenders converged on him, and he ended up throwing up an ugly shot. He finished the game with 3 points (1-3 from the field, 1-2 from the line).

#3 Simmons on defense

Ben Simmons looked better on defense since I watched him a month ago.

Simmons has shown signs of steady improvement on defense, despite having to sit out the last nine minutes of the first half after picking up his second foul getting into a minor tussle with Labissiere off the ball.

After that moment, he played 18 minutes in the second half of foul-free basketball, and throughout the whole game he displayed a better understanding of how to move his feet and use his hands in a way where he wouldn’t draw fouls.

He came out of the game with two steals and a couple of other strips that turned into turnovers by staying active with his feet and using his hands only when the ball was exposed in front of him.

This was true both in the tight quarters of the paint and on the perimeter, where he had a steal late that helped seal the game. He also was once again great on the boards, gobbling up 10 rebounds in a mere 27 minutes of action. Where he still seems to struggle is as a backline defender, as he doesn’t seem to react quite fast enough to snuff out drives to the hoop.

#4 Labissierre on defense

Skal has some work to do on the defensive end to live up to the reputation of elite back line Kentucky defenders

As with on offense, Skal has some work to do on the defensive end, displaying the same type of passive game as he did on the offensive end. Watching Labissiere, it almost seemed like he was thinking too much or still trying to get acclimated to the college game despite this being the 14th game of the season.

He didn’t help himself by getting early foul trouble and seemingly taking him out of the game mentally, as he looked tentative in the second half like he was still thinking about those fouls.

He constantly seemed a step too late, whether it was rolling over from the weak side on drives or not seeing cutters move through the lane and letting them go without giving them a bump and knocking them off their path.

It is evident that he still needs to put on some weight as he was weak at times in the post, letting the LSU big men manuever around him when looking to get their shot off. What he does do a solid job of was working to get in rebounding position, even if he only got one defensive board, he allowed his teammates to scoop up the wayward shots.

#5 And the winner is....

Ben Simmons, despite foul trouble, was the clear winner over Labissiere.

Just like the final score was a blowout, the battle between potential top five picks in the 2016 NBA draft was also a blowout for LSU’s Ben Simmons. It was more than just stats too, though Simmons blew Labissiere out of the gym in that realm too.

Simmons just looks much more comfortable on the court, moving with confidence in his skill and position. Skal, on the other hand, looked like he had to process each move before he made it, and if LSU sped the game up on either end of the court, he became a little overwhelmed.

While Simmons seems to be on his way to a potential first pick in the draft, right now his only competition for that spot seems to be Duke’s Brandon Ingram. Labissiere could see himself drop out of the top 10 if he does in fact declare for the draft.

This does not mean that he will in any way, one rough game isn’t going to determine his draft stock, and it is telling that Draft Express still has him ranked number five on it’s big board, but Skal has some work to do to get his on court game to match what many project his potential to be. These two play again on March 5th so be sure to tune in.