5 reasons Miami Heat should take Ben Simmons in a Damian Lillard trade
By Seth Quinn
Reason #5: The Miami Heat have Erik Spoelstra
Erik Spoelstra is considered by most to be the best head coach in the NBA. Along with the player development staff, a big reason for players reaching new heights with the Heat is Spoelstra’s coaching ability.
If any coach can make a guy with Simmons’s skillset work in today’s NBA, it is Spoelstra. Defensively, Simmons can be great in both man and zone and be used in a variety of ways. While his confidence in his offensive game may be gone, Simmons still has the natural athleticism and instincts to be a great defender with any team, never mind with the Heat.
On offense, things may get a bit tricky, but with his playmaking and slashing ability when locked in, Simmons can be used as a playmaking big, somewhat like how the Heat use Adebayo. It would be hard to have the two players on the court at the same time due to a lack of three-point shooting, but no player beyond Bam currently on the Heat roster has the combination of size and playmaking that can be a focal point of an offense.
While Simmons likely won’t get a lot of minutes, if he is on the court whenever Adebayo is off it, then the Heat can always have a player with size, playmaking, and switchability in the frontcourt, a rare skillset for a team to have one of, never mind two.
While acquiring Simmons in this scenario is more about getting Lillard, there is a world where Simmons becomes a valuable contributor to the Heat roster. As I said before, if anybody can make Simmons work again, it’s Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and the Miami Heat culture.
