Insider: Ben Simmons' Pre-Draft Work Ethic Is 'Extraordinary'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ben Simmons has not worked out for any NBA teams.
The projected No. 1 overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers has been criticized for being standoffish, as he did not show up to the combine or draft lottery.
ESPN NBA insider Chad Ford, who was to able to watch Simmons' pre-draft workouts, debunked that evaluation.
"Instead, Simmons appears to be incredibly focused on his NBA career," Ford wrote for ESPN.com. "His routine is the same every day. He gets up in the morning and heads to the gym, where he's spending time putting up shots, doing ball-handling drills, working on his transition game and change of pace -- the whole works."
Ford explained how the workout he saw Simmons doing was very guard oriented, almost uncanny for someone of that size and stature.
One of Simmons' biggest red flags in his jump shot, or lack thereof. However, Simmons only shot three three's in college. He shot 68-percent from the foul-line, same as Brandon Ingram.
"The one thing that almost always gets better from college to the pros is a guy's jumper," an NBA GM told Ford.
Simmons was working out two-to-three times per month during the week, and then doing yoga, boxing, and Pilates on the weekend. Ford calls his pre-draft work ethic "extraordinary" and his 6-10, 240-pound frame "lean, chiseled and explosive."
Here's Simmons via Ford:
"It's an 82-game season. You have to prepare for that," Simmons said via ESPN.com. "I'm worried about playing against Paul George, Kevin Durant and LeBron James next season. Once you get drafted, you're at the bottom. You have to start all over again. People don't care where you were drafted. They just care whether you can play."
He's also having fun too.
