NCAA Basketball: Ben Simmons versus Brandon Ingram

Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are two highly scrutinized NCAA Basketball talents, but how will they translate to the NBA?

LSU and Duke are currently polar opposite programs.

The Tigers are sitting at home after a disappointing 19-14 season that resulted in the school declining an invitation to the NIT. Head coach Johnny Jones has struggled to build chemistry and live up to expectations despite the incredible talent he continues to bring in.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils are prepping for their Sweet 16 match-up against the Oregon Ducks on Thursday and are coming off a National Championship in 2015. They also have the best coach in possibly all of sports in Mike Krzyzewski and he has clearly maximize the five-star recruits that he consistently reels in.

While there are no similarities between the programs, there are plenty of comparisons relating to their 2015-16 alpha dogs.

Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are both viewed as transcendent talents that are capable of elevating NBA franchises with their potential, skills and physical attributes. They both had moments of dominance but also trials of significant adversity – especially in Simmons’ case.

While there is no debate about who the top two selections will be in the 2016 NBA Draft, there have been rumblings from numerous draft sites and scouts that Ingram is making a push – and possibly even has gained the lead – for the number one overall selection.

Throughout the college basketball regular season, it was a foregone conclusion that Simmons would be taken number one. He was viewed as a LeBron James or Magic Johnson type talent before his flaws were greatly exposed beginning with the Legends Classic, where LSU lost two games to Marquette and North Carolina State.

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Now, many believe that Simmons’ ceiling will be Lamar Odom at his peak.

The 6’10” forward has unique skills as he can lead a team’s transition attack with his ball handling abilities, has unbelievable vision, can rebound with the best of them, is a freight train in transition and is capable of playing any position on the floor.

Simmons attacks the basket with power, has a high basketball IQ and was a winner every year of his high school career at Montverde Academy. The Australia native averaged 19.2 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game and 4.8 assists per game this season for the Tigers and he has the ability to take over a game in more ways than just scoring.

But with all the good that comes with Simmons, there are plenty of issues that cannot be ignored.

While no coach will ever complain about a player being unselfish, Simmons tends to shy away from attacking and disappears for stretches. It’s almost as if he is unselfish to a default and defers too often.

His head coach did not necessarily help Simmons in this area (Jones barely called plays to get Simmons to ball and struggled to run a competent offense in general), it is also on the athlete to take over when the time is right.

Against Oklahoma in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, the freshman didn’t take a single shot in the final 10 minutes! The Tigers had a 10 point lead at that point (61-51) and would have earned a monster quality win, but instead, Buddy Hield and company took over down the stretch, stole a victory and basically ended the Tigers hopes of making the Big Dance.

Simmons also has no confidence in his jump shot. He took three three pointers the entire season and was reluctant to shoot anywhere beyond the painted area.

This didn’t just limit the effectiveness of Simmons but it hurt the entire team, removing the spacing in the lane for the guards (Tim Quarterman and Antonio Blakeney), to operate.

His disappearing acts and broken jump shot are downfalls but what has clearly worried scouts the most is his questionable body language and work ethic.

Sure, it is unfair to judge Simmons on just a few games (he did have the weight of the college basketball world on his shoulders and that’s tough for any young athlete), but his performances in the latter half of the season were concerning.

Mar 12, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) looks on after his third foul in the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies during the SEC conference tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

The most embarrassing performance was in the SEC Tournament where Simmons took the day off during a 71-38 beatdown against Texas A&M.

If your an NBA GM would you want to risk that number one pick on someone who lacks mental toughness? Remember, you don’t select at number one overall every season.

Would it be safer to choose Ingram?

Ingram has amazing length, shooting ability and rebounding skills. He has also shown he can handle the ball, attack the basket and knock down shots from the perimeter.

He is almost unstoppable when he can gets into the lane or gets out in transition because of his long strides and long arms. His jump shot isn’t consistent and he needs to work on his free throws, but he is gaining valuable experience in the Big Dance and has vastly improved over the course of the year.

The 6’9″ forward averages 17.1 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists per game, but at the beginning of his Blue Devils career he struggled to adjust.

Ingram scored in double figures in just three of first seven games and was very inefficient against the likes of Kentucky, VCU and Georgetown.

His game started to change when Amile Jefferson went down. Ingram had to move down to the power forward position and he found his groove and rhythm from there.

The freshman has now scored in double figures in 27 of his last 28 games, including 45 total points in two NCAA Tournament games.

His confidence is sky high and most importantly, he has shown a level of toughness that will make NBA scouts feel much better about his thin frame.

Ingram is not lacking flaws though. He needs to improve his defense, his left hand, his muscle mass and he isn’t exactly fast or an explosive athlete.

So who’s it going to be? Simmons? Ingram?

Ingram has less glaring flaws than Simmons but the Australian native also seems to have the higher ceiling due to his natural feel for the game. The NBA is becoming a position-less league and Simmons fits the bill perfectly.

But I also continue to go back to the lack of mental toughness. Will that build over time? How does he deal with being the face of an NBA franchise? Is he a good enough leader? Was his issues this past year related to his coach and teammates?

These are all questions that NBA franchises will have to weigh and while I am leaning towards Ingram over Simmons at this point in time, it will likely depend on who is selecting number one overall and how both players deal with the pre-draft interview process.

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While the selection will be a difficult one, both Simmons and Ingram have captivated the college game, have turned into two of the most polarizing figures in the game and have given college basketball fanatics moments to drool over.

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