Ben Simmons achieves career high steals, Philadelphia 76ers keep 2-0 record

Young Australian point-guard Ben Simmons didn't have superstar numbers with 13 points, four rebounds, and career-high seven steals in the Philadelphia 76ers' 117-111 win against the Detroit Pistons. However, a lot of individual contributions don't show in official stats.

The 76ers are playing without their All-Star, Joel Embiid, but the 23-year-old Simmons controlled both the offense and defense of the entire game. His hustle plays dictated the tempo of the match, giving them their second win of the season. 13 points and four rebounds may not be NBA superstar numbers, but his seven steals and 10 assists in the game against Detroit indeed showed a superstar performance.

It can even be said that it's an off night for the young guard, shooting just 5 out of 13 from the field. That is a far cry from his 55% FG career average in the past two years. According to Australian news wire, 76ers coach Brett Brown is happy with Simmons' performance in spite of his lackluster scoring.

There is a monkey on the Australian's back. In the past two seasons, he has yet to score a three-point shot. As a guard, it makes it easy to defend against a ball handler that hesitates to shoot beyond the arc. It even makes it easier for them since he misses them all. There is a lot of speculation that Philly was developing the young player's long-range abilities during the off-season.

The game against Detroit comes as a shock to teams slated to play against the 76ers. Pundits agree that the 76ers don't need threes. At least, not this season, with the way the team is playing now. In their previous game against the Boston Celtics, the 76ers shot 7-29 from the three-point line and still came out with a 107-93 win.

Simmons himself put up 24 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists shooting 11-16 in the field in the game against the Celtics. He didn't attempt a single shot outside the three-point line, earning his pay in the paint. If we didn't know any better, we would think that the young player is a power forward instead of a point guard.