Ben Simmons Yahoo! article

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An early look at the possible No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA draft

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Simmons is already built like a grown man, standing 6-foot-10 with a svelte 239-pound frame. The Melbourne, Australia, native shoots left-handed, but likes to finish layups and running shots with his right hand. One NBA scout called him "reverse ambidextrous." The 2015 Naismith prep player of the year is unselfish and loves to pass. One NBA scout said that in a triangle offense he could run the point guard position in the NBA. He has a high basketball IQ and shows leadership qualities. His biggest weakness is his jump shot, but there is lots of time for improvement.

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Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut and Jazz rookie guard Dante Exum, both Australian, are also impressed by Ben Simmons. Bogut said he first saw Simmons play two years ago at his gym in Australia and immediately noticed something special.

"We kind of knew he'd have a chance to be a first-round pick," Bogut said. "He is a hybrid [small forward/power forward] right now because he just keeps growing. He has the ball skills of a [small forward] and passes like one, but he's playing [power forward] because he's 6-10.

"You could just see the tools that he has. The first time I saw him work out we had all of our pros there so he was kind of in a shell a little bit. But you could see for a 16-year-old with the body that he had and the high basketball IQ, he could play and pass. He got even better this year as he's hit the weight room stronger."

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