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when we talk about this Ben Simmons performance last night.
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It's called historic because of certain caveats in there.
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Five steals, shooting, 80%.
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He just had a really good game, right?
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That's the best way to look at it.
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Yeah, and he's been absolutely incredible without Joe Joel Embiid.
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And you can see why the Sixers organization always stresses about the fit with their two best players.
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What strikes me, Trey is there's this incredible at times, level of negativity around Ben Simmons and his unwillingness to shoot three point shot, and it will eventually pinch them.
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But we do not give this young man enough credit for what he is absolutely elite at, and that's a ton of things.
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He has been performing at a first team all NBA defensive level all season.
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He's legit.
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6 10 Congar did one through five without Joel, a times he's having to guard the centers, you know, in cross matches at times, just t get out of a bad switch.
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Whatever the case may be, he's got elite speed and M and and his ability to put pressure at the rim.
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They can post him against almost anybody.
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He can finish left and right, and in this stretch without Joel, where they absolutely had to win games.
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And I know you know some of the competition in the win streak is teams below 500 but you gotta win the games in front of you.
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And Ben Simmons is a driving force behind what they're doing right now.
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I guess it's a compliment to him in a way, Doors, because talking about him with with other greats LeBron James was talked about earlier his career.
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Well, he's doing this really great, but he needs to improve on this.
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This and this.
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And he did Yanis onto the camp.
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Oh, he's doing there is great, but he needs to improve on this and he went out and he did that.
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And I guess that's what everybody's waiting to see.
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Okay, Ben, you're playing great.
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But there are things you need to improve upon me, and we haven't seen any of that yet.
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Is that fair?
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It's totally fair, and I wonder about this is a 23 year old young man who was given a Max contract who has been named an All Star and will be again this year and in his mind.
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He knows what he's great out, and he can affect winning in a lot of ways.
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Where this will show and what ultimately will motivate him is he'll get exposed against the best.
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Defense is probably after the first round of the playoffs, or maybe before, and that is what's going to spur him to change things because he has not taken a three point attempt in over a month.
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And this was after Brett Brown had said to him, You can tell his agent You can tell his family tell his girlfriend, Tell whomever I wanted at least 13 point attempt per game, so I don't There's something there and I don't know what it is and it's not, You know, it's not going to really come into sharp focus until the postseason when you get the elite defense.
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Is that exposure?
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Weaknesses.
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Talking to Doris Burger, ESPN MBA analyst, going beyond the call for six years at Raptors.
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Wednesday, seven Eastern on ESPN and just one more getting into the Sixers.
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You mentioned this all happening without joy, oil and bead.
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We know how much Joel Embiid is meant to this team, but is there anything to read into with this?
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Or is it just him stepping up with a guy out?
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It's that and there is nothing to look into it.
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Because if you look historically over there, their time with Joel Embiid, he's to me.
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He has the potential to be the best local center in the league.
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They can direct post.
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Um, he's got incredible touch.
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He's got face of game there, on and off numbers defensively without him.
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Typically, um, we really show you how important he is.
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I am in No A suggesting you don't need Joel Embiid.
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This is a guy in Ben Simmons who's helped buoy them in a tough stretch.
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But they need Joel Embiid.
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I would read nothing else into.
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It doesn't change the fact that they're still you know, that static or excuse me, that dynamic boy.
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Who are we when bolt or on the floor?
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Because that question Israel Doris Burke with us, they clearly need Joel Embiid, and the MBA clearly needs something, and that something is coming Tomorrow.
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It is Z day.
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Doris's Working Bees, ESPN.
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One more time.
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A Zion Williamson makes his debut for the pelicans again.
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You can see on ESPN.
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I guess the question I have for you is we're talking about this debut in ways that we sort of talked about the debut of a guy named LeBron James a few years ago.
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I'm not sure that fair to Zion.
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What are realistic expectations for him as he begins his NB a career boy.
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That is a great question because I heard Jeff Van Gundy say That's early in the season about Zion and it really struck me.
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I was just watching, Ah, game on ESPN.
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We were just out of the gates and just Jeff made the statement.
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You know, Zion Williamson has the potential and in all likelihood, has saved basketball and the organization in the world.
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It was blown away by it, but that is the power of the draw of this young man, despite his tender age.
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And there is just something so compelling about his athleticism, his basketball skill and his personality.
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He just has that it factor.
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And when you talk to him when you listen to him, uh, it's it's really exciting.
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I can't wait.
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And what I'm really curious about is to see how long they plan is.
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It 456 minutes stretches how effective any be in those in those runs.
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But the kid is special.
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Listen, he look at his numbers.
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In the preseason, he was absolutely dominant, and on a team that's really seemed to find itself, he gives him exactly what they need.
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You know, they want to play fast.
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They want to take freeze.
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And now you have somebody with with elite athleticism who can put pressure on the rim and give Lonzo ball, who's played tremendously?
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A You know, a stretch vertical target.
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And so I just I can't wait.
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I'm as excited as the next NBA fan.
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I think this kid is so compelling.
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Everybody's so looking forward to it, No doubt about it.
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That's coming up Wednesday night.
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Last night, the Lakers in Boston gets shelled by 32.
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Is it just a Hey, it happens every now and then, or is there any worry there for you?
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For the Lakers?
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I think it's two things.
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I think you had a Boston team that has really been struggling that was desperate for a win.
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They were at home.
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They got an incredible second quarter performance from from Jason Tatum, he continues to show us what he's capable of.
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Their three best players played great, and the one thing I'm worried about long term for the Lakers.
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And it's literally one thing.
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And that's the elite shot making.
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They were below 30% less.
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I think there were 27.
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They only made six threes.
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The one thing I feel like they need is elite shot making, three point shooting.
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But I'm not.
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I'm not concerned.
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I think they're 82 in their last 10.
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Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube.
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