One name that has continued to pop up in rumors regarding who the Knicks will use their remaining veteran minimum contract on is guard-forward Ben Simmons. While Simmons possesses an intriguing combination of size, playmaking, and defensive versatility, his offensive limitations would be disastrous to the Knicks' roster.
The Athletic's James L. Edwards III mentioned that Simmons continues to be a name that the Knicks are monitoring in free agency. They currently have room on their roster to sign a rookie and a player with the veteran minimum.
Simmons came into the league as a guard, but is more of a forward, or even a small-ball center at this point in his career. Still, his ability to handle the ball and pass at an elite level is intriguing, especially when the Knicks' primary guards are undersized. That said, his offensive limitations, primarily his reluctance to shoot, outweigh the positives.
Simmons would be a rotational headache on this roster
As Edwards III pointed out, "Simmons’ inability to shoot — or even look at the basket — makes it so that Brown couldn’t successfully play him with non-shooters like Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson." That makes him a massive issue for this roster.
Over the last three regular seasons, Simmons has only averaged 10.3 field goal attempts per 100 possessions, according to league tracking data. That is the sixth-lowest rate among guards and centers who have played at least 2,000 total minutes over that span.
Simmons would likely be the 10th man on the Knicks roster. Having a player that low on the pecking order who needs to have the lineup tailored specifically to their skillset is an issue, regardless of any other benefits they bring to their table with passing or defense.
The move would hurt their spacing
The other issue is that the move all but guarantees that the Knicks will be playing multiple bigs at the same time for most, if not all, of the game.
Last year, fans never got to see how Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson looked in a five-out offense. If the Knicks add Simmons to the roster, they will likely not have the opportunity to play with elite spacing ever.
Instead of Simmons, the Knicks would be better off looking to bring in a more traditional point guard to add depth behind Brunsun. Edwards III lists several options, including Malcolm Brogdon, Monte Morris, and Delon Wright, who spent last season with the Knicks and played his way into the rotation during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers.