In news that should surprise no one, Ben Simmons is finished with college basketball.
The presumptive No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft saw his season officially come to an end when LSU elected to forgo any postseason tournaments following omission from both the NCAA tournament and the NIT.
LSU elects not to participate in men’s basketball postseason tournament: https://t.co/Qxodjcu1hV
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) March 13, 2016
Now, the Australian has made it official. Simmons plans to sign with Rich Paul of Klutch Sports agency, which is backed by LeBron James.
This news makes official what has long been assumed by basketball insiders, according to Yahoo’s Adrain Wojnarowski. Simmons’ older sister was hired by Klutch as a marketing/branding employee back in 2014 when the group first began targeting the rising star as a potential client. The arrangement for Paul to represent Simmons has been in place for more than a year, according to Wojnarowski, and Simmons will sign the papers in the near future.
Simmons was impressive in college, averaging 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, but questions over his perceived passive play and lack of team success might become question marks throughout the draft process.
He has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation talent, but Simmons and LSU’s embarrassing 38-point effort against Texas A&M to finish the year is a perfect example of why many are hesitant to anoint him basketball’s next savior just yet.
[Yahoo]
