October 18, 2016
Another October means another NBA general manager poll, and as it turns out, 70 percent of the league’s decision makers believe that Ben Simmons will be the best player among the current rookie class in five years. Joel Embiid finished fourth at 3.3 percent of the votes, which is a tad surprising because of the third-year rookie’s boom or bust potential. I personally believe Embiid's chances to be the best player are better than that.
Simmons and Embiid also finished tied for second and fourth, respectively, in the rookie of the year projection. Minnesota’s Kris Dunn is the frontrunner among the GMs in that category.
As has been made obvious again this preseason, the Sixers don’t project to be a very good team so the GMs didn’t tab them to make the playoffs or anything. Simmons was one of five players to receive votes in the “Best Passer in the NBA” category, along with Chris Paul, LeBron James, Ricky Rubio, and Rajon Rondo. Expect Simmons to fare well in that category for years to come.
T.J. McConnell hilariously received a vote to the question, “Which player would make the best head coach someday?” Good on T.J. for cracking the GM poll in an upset.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
