To say the LSU Tigers basketball team had a disappointing season would be a massive understatement. LSU came into the season loaded with talent and ranked in the preseason AP poll. The Tigers though, finished the season 19-14 and did not make the NCAA tournament.
After LSU failed to show up in the SEC tournament semifinals against Texas A&M, it was abundantly clear that it had no business being in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers were invited to the NIT, but they declined to participate in any postseason tournament at all because head coach Johnny Jones said it was a good time to work on getting better in the future.
Unfortunately for Jones and fans of LSU, that future was never likely to include their most talented player, Ben Simmons, and now it's official. Simmons decided to hire an agent and enter the 2016 NBA Draft. There is a new rule in the NBA that allows college players to declare for the draft and then pull out and go back to school a month before, giving some LSU fans hope, but that won't happen with Simmons.
The 6-foot-10 forward came into college as the No. 1 recruit in the nation and the No. 1 NBA prospect, and many people believe that's still where he is. Simmons put up great numbers as a freshman, but there have been questions about his competitiveness considering that his team did not have the type of success it should've had. Simmons was the only player in the nation to average more than 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists per game this season.
With Simmons now officially entering the draft, there will be a lot of discussion about whether he is worthy of being the first overall pick. The debate seems to be between just him and Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, and it is a split decision for now. Ingram is still playing in the NCAA tournament so he has yet to declare but he is fully expected to. Some NBA executives have said they would still prefer Simmons over Ingram if the draft was today, but some mock drafts have moved Ingram ahead of the Australian.
Simmons will certainly have some questions to answer about why his team performed so badly this season, but the worst-case scenario for him seems to be going second overall. Simmons is a 6-foot-10 forward who is an incredible athlete that can handle the ball and is a very good passer. Although his jump shot needs a lot of work, Simmons has the talent to be a star in the NBA.
