The NBA All-Star weekend has ended, and now the NBA players will be headed back to their  respective teams to get ready for the second part of the season. The LA Clippers had some  pickups at the trade deadline. The question now becomes how the Clippers look to use the new  acquisitions, especially former All-Star Ben Simmons. 

Simmons competed in his first game as a Clipper last Thursday against the Utah Jazz. He  recorded 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block, and zero turnovers, which  resulted in a win for the Clippers. If you tally that up with 27 minutes of play, that is a very all around solid performance. From him, guarding Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen in the 4th quarter  to being a calculative decision maker on the court. 

Clippers Head coach Ty Lue addressed the media last week about the three time All-Star and  what he adds to the team. “Speed and pace offensively along with his passing he can play the  point, or the five and he wants to guard the best player every night.”  

The first two words of the quote, “speed and pace” is not the first time Lue has voiced that. The  Clippers 22nd ranked offense has gone hand in hand with the Clippers not having another ball  handler and playing too slow. Simmons brings not only that, but his playmaking skills. His first  game against the Jazz recording six assists and zero turnovers highlights that.  

One person who can really appreciate Simmons’ playmaking ability is current point guard for the  Clippers James Harden. “I’m excited man, I mean Ben brings a skillset that we don’t have other  than myself, his passing ability and his speed pushing the ball in the offense to get guys  involved.”  

Throughout the season, Harden and former Clippers backup point guard Kevin Porter Jr. were  the primary ball handlers on the team. Well, now with the departure of Porter Jr. to the  Milwaukee Bucks, and trades of guards Bones Hyland and Terrance Mann to the Atlanta Hawks  for Bogdan Bogdanovic . Harden’s usage rate and responsibility to play the point guard really  showed in their recent loss to the Indiana Pacers. With Bogdanovic out of that game, they were  without another consistent ball handler. Simmons takes a lot of that load off Harden.

The defensive side of the ball will be equally impacted with Simmons. Current Clippers forward  Kawhi Leonard kept it simple with what Simmons brings defensively, “He can defend multiple  positions one through five, so it will be great to see how we can mesh it all together.”

The Clippers have not had any issue staying afloat defensively even without the presence of  Leonard outside of 15 games. A lot of credit goes to Assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy who has a  lot of success in that department especially in his earlier years coaching the New York Knicks.  The Clippers have been a top five defense this entire season and moved up to as high as second  with Leonard back in the lineup.  

So, Simmons offensively and defensively seems to fill in the gap for a lot of things the Clippers  need. However, there is still expectation for him to come off the bench like he did against the  Jazz last Thursday night, but when you look at all the things he can do you are limiting his talent  and how he helps the team. A reporter at Simmons introductory press conference asked about  any limitations he may have to his back, he responded with, “No, no I’m ready to go.” So, the  main concern is now about how his inability to space the floor and shoot could be a problem for  the Clippers.  

Many fans seem to look at Simmons’ overall game; they focus a lot on the one area he struggles  with shooting. While overlooking the many things he excels at defense, rebounding, playmaking,  size, and scoring. Simmons over the first four years of his career was a three-time All-Star, but 

more importantly he averaged 15.8 ppg. There are many ways to put the basketball in the hoop  that does not involve shooting. Going by his averages, while having an inconsistent jump shot, he has done an excellent job of using his strengths to score in a variety of ways and not be a  liability to his teams. A major liability came when he went to the Brooklyn Nets while  overcoming back injuries from 2022-2024 averaging only 30 games a season averaging 6.4 ppg during that time. Well, based on his recent comments he says he no longer has those limitations.  

The 28-year-old skill set has not left him. He is still 6 ‘9, fast with the ball, strong, athletic, can  defend, can play make, and rebound. He does too many things well to be put as a bench player  because of a couple of rough seasons. Simmons also spoke about having a new beginning with  the team, “I think it’s different from Brooklyn coming to a veteran based team, so it’s a lot  different.” The change of scenery from the cold climate in Philadelphia/Brooklyn to the warm  climate in Los Angeles has seemed to rejuvenate Simmons.