{"id":622,"date":"2016-09-13T10:47:55","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T14:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=622"},"modified":"2016-09-13T10:47:55","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T14:47:55","slug":"ben-simmons-merchandise-selling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2016\/09\/13\/ben-simmons-merchandise-selling\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Simmons Merchandise is Selling Out Fast"},"content":{"rendered":"

It would seem that Philadelphia 76ers<\/strong> fans are looking forward to the start of the season, which is likely to feature the debut of rookies Ben Simmons<\/a><\/strong>, Joel Embiid<\/a><\/strong>, and Dario Saric<\/a><\/strong>. The Philadelphia Daily News<\/strong><\/a> has reported that Simmons has already become one of\u00a0the top 10\u00a0best-selling athletes in the NBA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ben Simmons Merchandise is Selling out Fast<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Just months after being selected by the 76ers with the number one\u00a0overall draft pick, the Melbourne<\/strong>-born rookie sits just behind Russell Westbrook<\/a> <\/strong>in terms of merchandise sales and ahead of established stars such as Carmelo Anthony<\/a> <\/strong>and Chris Paul<\/a><\/strong>, among others. This is despite not yet playing a single game in the professional league.<\/p>\n

While the Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney<\/strong> are among the top five cities globally for total sales of Simmons\u2019 merchandise, this massive spike in purchases also highlights the strong sense of anticipation by Sixers fans for their team\u2019s future success.<\/p>\n

Fans of the 76ers can be forgiven for prematurely buying into the hype of having\u00a0the number one\u00a0draft pick of the class of 2016. The 76ers have aimed to place themselves in the best possible position to finally win the draft lottery and build a team for the future.<\/p>\n

The Wait\u00a0for Other International Rookies<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Thanks to this strategy, headed by former Philadelphia\u00a0general manager Sam Hinkie<\/strong>, the 76ers have struggled over the past three\u00a0years. While the franchise managed to draft rookies such as Joel Embiid<\/strong> and acquire others such as Dario Saric<\/strong> in 2014, neither player has\u00a0been able to play\u00a0in the NBA, until this point.<\/p>\n

Saric represents the Croatian national team and has spent the last two years playing abroad for a Turkish basketball team, Anadolu Efes S.K. <\/strong>Embiid is another international player from Cameroon<\/strong> and, despite being taken as the third overall draft pick in 2014, has yet to play\u00a0for the 76ers due to persistent foot injuries.<\/p>\n

The Young International 76ers<\/strong><\/h4>\n

All three rookies have increased the global influence of the 76ers franchise. Chris Heck<\/strong>, the Sixers\u2019 chief sales and marketing officer, reiterated this in an interview with the Daily News<\/a>, saying: \u201cOur team has become very international; we have our share of young Americans, but also an influx of international players.\u201d Simmons has certainly brought with him a tangible sense of optimism for fans of the 76ers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a fascinating summer, to be frank, and it\u2019s not that we didn\u2019t expect the franchise to turn the corner,\u201d continued Heck. \u201cBut we\u2019re seeing it. And we\u2019re seeing it beyond Ben Simmons. He is charismatic, intelligent, good-looking – and all of those things fit into how today\u2019s athletes are [viewed] in our pop culture, and Philadelphia is no exception.\u201d<\/p>\n

What this Means for the Upcoming Season<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Simmons should be a welcomed face for\u00a0the 76ers roster, not just\u00a0because the past three years have seen the team perennially occupying the bottom half of the standings.\u00a0Philly\u00a0bottomed out in 2015-16 with the NBA\u2019s worst record at 10-72. This also represents the franchise\u2019s own record for losses in a season \u2013\u00a0ironically, the reverse record of the 1995-96\u00a0Chicago Bulls<\/strong>‘\u00a0<\/strong>famous 72-10 season.<\/p>\n

Expected Improvement in Philadelphia<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The good news for the franchise is that the 76ers\u00a0should be much better in 2016-17 than they were last\u00a0season. As mentioned before, Saric and Embiid will be making their debuts, adding to an abundance of front-court talent. Furthermore, Jahlil Okafor<\/a> <\/strong>will be looking to build on a\u00a0fantastic rookie season\u00a0in which he was named to the All-Rookie First Team<\/strong>. Nerlens Noel<\/a> <\/strong>is yet another big man lottery pick who will looking to further add to his NBA resume\u00a0next season.<\/p>\n

The 76ers were ranked 20th\u00a0in the NBA in\u00a0assists per game in\u00a0the 2015-16 season.\u00a0They’ll\u00a0rely on Simmons to add to their ball movement for the upcoming season. Simmons has drawn flattering comparisons to Magic Johnson<\/a> <\/strong>and a young Lamar Odom<\/a> <\/strong>because of his rare combination of size and ball handling skills. The addition of Sergio Rodr<\/strong>\u00edguez <\/strong>should also add to the 76ers’\u00a0future assist totals. Rodriguez possesses a typical European point guard \u201cpass-first\u201d mentality.<\/p>\n

It\u00a0Won’t Happen Immediately<\/strong><\/h4>\n

However, do not expect Simmons to improve the team dramatically next season, as he still needs to work\u00a0on his jumper. This was a particular weak aspect of the 76ers in the previous season, ranking dead last in field goal percentage from the 10-19 ft.\u00a0ranges. With the addition of three 6’10”\u00a0or taller\u00a0front-court players, jump shots will likely be a weakness once again for Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Embiid’s\u00a0Arrival<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It looks\u00a0like\u00a0Embiid has been putting in some serious work this off-season<\/a> as well, trying\u00a0to stay healthy and finally have\u00a0a\u00a0breakout in his debut season. Ensuring that Embiid is physically and mentally ready for a rigorous first season will give the 76ers an extra edge. Embiid represents another exciting young piece for the upcoming season, and with a number of large anchors at their disposal, the 76ers could establish a dominant defensive front-line in the future.<\/p>\n

It would seem that Philadelphia has\u00a0plenty to look forward to next season. With a number of young, dynamic players with superstar ceilings, the future looks bright for the 76ers. It certainly\u00a0cannot be much worse than last season. Hopefully, this\u00a0won’t\u00a0jinx it.<\/p>\n

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Main photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n