Two of the top players in college basketball will meet on Saturday when Ben Simmons and LSU host Buddy Hield and Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Two of the top players in college basketball will meet on Saturday when Ben Simmons and LSU host Buddy Hield and No. 1 Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The 6-foot-10 Simmons is a freshman who appears to be a virtual lock as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, while the 6-4 Hield is a senior who remains the favorite for National Player of the Year honors.
Both players were born outside the United States, with Simmons coming from Australia and Hield from the Bahamas.
As of Thursday, 14 NBA scouts were expected at the game (5 p.m., ESPN), an LSU spokesman told SNY.tv.
“It’s not about the Buddy Hield-Ben Simmons matchup, it’s about Oklahoma basketball,” Hield said Thursday on SportsCenter when asked if he wanted to look into the camera and give Simmons a message.
“I have a lot of great players and teammates on my team, so I can’t win a game by myself. It’s a team effort so we’re just going to go out there [and] try to executive in Baton Rouge. I know it’s going to be a hostile environment but I hope we get a win down there.”
The projected No. 17 pick by DraftExpress.com, Hield is averaging 25.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists and has made 52 percent of his three pointers (79-151).
He dropped 46 points on Kansas earlier this month in a game in which he went 8-for-15 from deep, and is coming off a 30-point outing against Texas Tech in which he shot 5-for-8 from deep.
The projected No. 1 pick, Simmons averages 19.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He has attempted only three three-pointers on the season, making one of them.
He went for 43 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists in a December game against North Florida in which he didn’t attempt a single three-pointer.
Hield has taken 148 more three-pointers than Simmons and made 78 more. They are vastly different players, with Hield gaining recognition as a shooter while Simmons is considered a point-forward who could help transform an NBA team almost immediately.
“He’s a tremendous scorer,” Simmons said of Hield on SportsCenter. “He can get to the rim, he can dish the ball. He’s just really consistent. He’s one of those guys you have to really focus on when playing a team like this but they have a lot of great players…They can all really shoot the ball well.”
Hield said he’s worked hard on his long-distance shot with Oklahoma assistant Steve Henson.
“Just all repetitions,” he said. “I get up every morning with Coach Henson and shoot. Just tons of rhythm threes. It takes a lot of time so i just put a lot of time into it.”
A left-handed point forward with incredible court vision, Simmons has drawn comparisons to everyone from Magic Johnson to LeBron James to Lamar Odom, but he says any of those comparisons are unfair.
“It’s really hard to compare me to one of the greatest point forwards in the game, Magic Johnson,” Simmons said. “He’s done a lot for the game, he’s one of the best players to ever play. For him, it’s not fair because I’m still in college, I’m still playing. I try and learn things from them, whether it’s LeBron or Paul George or Kevin Durant and Magic, just watch film on them. I don’t think it’s fair to them to compare [to] me because I feel like I have my own game.”
Simmons — who has a documentary film crew following his transition from high school at Montverde (FL) Academy to college to the NBA — has drawn praise from Magic on Twitter, and texts and talks with LeBron for advice.
“He’s been like a big brother to me,” Simmons said of James. “He’s looked after me whenever I’ve needed advice or just to talk to. If I’m just struggling through the day, he’ll give me some good advice that I need.”
While LeBron went straight from high school to the NBA, Simmons had to spend at least a year on campus, choosing LSU largely because of his relationship with LSU assistant David Patrick, his Godfather and a friend of the family’s from his time in Australia.
Asked directly by ESPN about his plans for next season, Simmons hedged his bets.
“Well, you know, I gotta finish this season first and I got a few classes I need to finish too so make sure I get my grades and focus on that first,” he said. “But we’ll see what happens.”
Barring something hugely unexpected, what will happen is he’ll be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.
But for now, it’s time for Simmons vs. Hield, LSU against Oklahoma.
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