Minnesota Timberwolves: Examining Ben Simmons’ potential fit on the Wolves
By Aidan Berg
Ben Simmons defensive fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves
Let’s talk about what we absolutely know Simmons can provide: great defense.
The guy has been on the All-Defensive First Team two straight years for a reason. With his 6-foot-10 frame and tremendous instincts, Simmons is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and has the versatility to guard all five positions.
defense appreciation post, feat. Ben Simmons 🔒pic.twitter.com/joxxys0G4Y
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) May 23, 2021
The Wolves have already made moves this offseason to address their porous defense, but it’s going to take more than Patrick Beverley and Taurean Prince to fix a team that was in the bottom five in most defensive metrics.
Simmons is a tone-setting defender the Wolves desperately need. The Sixers’ worst defensive rating since Simmons joined the fold was 108.9 in 2018-19; that would have ranked fifth in the league last season, per NBA.com.
Yes, he played alongside an elite defensive big in Embiid, but Philadelphia had a significantly better defensive rating in 2021 with Simmons on the floor and without Embiid (112.3) than vice-versa (116.7) according to PBPStats.com.
Simmons and Karl-Anthony Towns are a perfect match. They’re both skilled in ways that can absolutely work together, and they’re both strong in areas in which the other is weak.
A partnership between the two would free both to be the best versions of themselves while continuing to improve in the important areas they struggle in. Towns is obviously “the guy” in Minnesota, so it’s crucial for the Wolves to surround him with players who make sense alongside him.
Towns is not as poor defensively as he’s made out to be nationally, but he’s no Embiid. As he continues to learn how to run the defense from the backline, having a monstrous, do-it-all defender such as Simmons would be invaluable, not only to take some pressure off but to teach him about what goes into elite defense.