The NBA Draft is just a week away but teams owning the top picks haven't been too lucky to get a closer look at the draft class' No. 1 favorite. Philadelphia 76ers can't seem to figure out just yet who they want to draft after bagging home the first overall pick. Basketball pundits they think they are likely to choose LSU's Ben Simmons. However, the LSU forward hasn't been working out after declaring for the draft.
As reported by Philly.Com, the 19-year-old LSU freshman refused to appear in Philadelphia team workouts this week. Earlier reports indicated that the presumed top pick preferred getting signed in by Los Angeles Lakers, the team that owns the second pick following the draft NBA draft lottery. Even so, Simmons also turned down workout sessions with the Lakers or any other top pick owners in the league.
"Everything that we get with our intel as it relates to Ben is that he would very much like to be selected No. 1. His agent has decided that is the process they are undertaking...It has... nothing to do with Philadelphia ...Sometimes players decide to work out, sometimes they decide not to work out," Sixers exec Bryan Colangelo said, ESPN reported.
Working out draft prospects is a way for teams to scrutinize their target draftee in drills and interviews. Some basketball analysts think that refusing to work out with teams is quite a sound marketing strategy for Simmons and his agency, Klutch Sports Group. Workouts often reveal questionable shooting skills and personality flaws which could seriously affect his draft value.
Other reports indicate that if Philadelphia feels uncomfortable adding him to the roster for not showing up in team workouts, they might pass on drafting him and sign Duke's Brandon Ingram instead. This would also increase his chances of playing for the Lakers, Lakers Nation mentioned in their report.
Business Insider's Scott Davis, on the other hand, thinks that Simmons is merely guarding his market value as top draft picks usually pitch higher rookie contracts, greater prestige, and a number of off-the-court offers that augment the player's income. As Davis wrote, teams that are serious of drafting him should observe him instead in his workout sessions with Klutch Sports Group in Cleveland, Ohio.
