JUST MY TYPE

BEN SIMMONS

FIRST MATE

The 19-year-old Australian, who was taken No. 1 by the 76ers in last Thursday's NBA draft, is championing a new position, one that he hopes will help him dethrone King James.

DAN PATRICK:What position do you want to play?

BEN SIMMONS: Point forward, for sure. It's the best position for me and my style of play. I think I can get a lot done at point forward.

DP:Is that now an official position?

BS: I think it's turning into a new position, but it can't be listed.

DP:What number will you have with the Sixers?

BS: Twenty-five. That's the family number. My dad [Dave] wore it. My brothers and sisters wore it. I'm definitely keeping it in the family.

DP:Could you have played in the NBA right out of high school?

BS: I would have liked to have tried.

DP:Did going to LSU help you much?

BS: It helped me more on the mental level, playing through adversity and learning that not everything is going to be perfect.

DP:Why didn't you shoot more threes in college?

BS: It was more that we already had guys shooting threes, so I didn't need to shoot as many. I can definitely shoot the ball. I wanted to make sure we got the best out of each player.

DP:How did you guys not make the NCAA tournament?

BS: A lot of things went into that. Players were hurt. Chemistry was broken because guys were out. Having no fluid chemistry kind of messed it up. I definitely enjoyed my time there. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

DP:How do you answer critics who say you need to work on your shooting?

BS: I'm working on everything right now. By the time I get to the league, I'll be a much better player than I was the other day.

DP:When did you realize you were better than your father [an Australian National Basketball League player]?

BS: When I was 15, I came back to Australia [from Montverde (Fla.) Academy] for a visit and finally played him in one-on-one and beat him.

DP:How was dinner that night at home?

BS: It was good. [Laughs.] He knew it was time to hand it over.

DP:When's the last time you talked to LeBron James?

BS: Last night [on FaceTime] at my draft get-together.

DP:What did he say?

BS: He congratulated me, and I told him I was looking forward to finally matching up against him.

DP:What did he say about that?

BS: He [showed me his] camera, and it was a picture of the championship trophy. I couldn't say anything back.

DP:Whose poster did you have in your bedroom growing up?

BS: I had a banner of Allen Iverson hanging on my door.

DP:Have you talked to Iverson yet?

BS: Not yet. I can't wait for that, to talk to him and get some pointers on how it's done.

GUEST SHOTS

SAY WHAT?

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