By: Brandon Apter, managing editor 
On Tuesday, the Sixers informed Ben Simmons that they would select him with the No.1 pick. On Thursday at the 2016 NBA Draft, they officially selected Simmons first overall. This is the first time since 1996, when Philadelphia picked Allen Iverson, that the team has owned the top selection in the draft.
The timeline of events leading Simmons to Philadelphia was a wild one. In the middle of May, it was reported that Simmons preferred the Lakers in hopes of landing a bigger shoe deal. On May 18, one day after the Sixers won the NBA Draft Lottery, reports surfaced that Philadelphia was 'leaning heavily' towards selecting Simmons over Duke product Brandon Ingram. On May 22, Simmons pushed aside the Lakers rumors and said that he didn't have an issue with Philadelphia or the market. Fast forward to June 9, Simmons' agent Rich Paul said that his client had been preparing to play in Philadelphia since the Sixers won the lottery back on May 17. Everything came together over the past two weeks, with the Sixers meeting with Simmons before game six of the NBA Finals prior to holding a private workout with him on Tuesday. Shortly after that, they informed him that they would use the first pick to select him in the draft. Here's a picture, courtesy of Ben Simmons' Instagram account, from his workout with the team on Tuesday.
While some remain concerned about Simmons' mid-range shot or shooting ability in general, we took a look at why those concerns are likely overstated at the end of May.
If Ben Simmons never improves his jumper, his ceiling as a prospect will be limited. There really isn't anyway around that. But whether it is reasonable to expect Simmons to overcome his shooting woes is a question that deserves more attention. To put it bluntly, it is the key question that will determine just how special of a player Simmons becomes.
When Simmons is on, his form looks smooth, natural, and repeatable. Simmons keeps his feet shoulder width apart, squares his shoulders to the basket, and has a good follow through on his jumper.
In our Sixerdelphia mock draft, we had Simmons going over Ingram, despite people constantly expressing concern over his shooting. In reality, he just chose not to shoot. Simmons attempted just three 3-pointers (made one) during his lone year at LSU. All of the Sixers fans who want Ingram will immediately jump to this for their first argument on why they’d rather have the lanky forward from Duke. Simmons’ shot is bound to improve with coaching and some extra time in the gym (think Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James, who were terrible shooters coming into the league). Ingram may be a better shooter at the moment, but Simmons is better in literally every other aspect of the game.
Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this past season with LSU. Simmons shot 56 percent from the floor, mainly with shots in the post and dunks. He became the first college player since Ron Harper in 1988 to average 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in college.
