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The NBA is drooling over a 19-year-old Australian freshman who looks ready to dominate after just 4 games

Scott Davis
ben simmons
ben simmons

(Bill Feig/AP)
Ben Simmons is putting up monster numbers through his first four games.

The NBA Draft is still almost seven months away, but a favorite for the No. 1 pick has already emerged.

Through four games, LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons already has the NBA drooling over his potential.

The 19-year-old Australian was one of the most highly recruited players going into his freshman year because of his size, athleticism, and skills.

While he has the height of a power forward, Simmons is more fluid and athletic than probably anybody else at his position, and he has the handle and court vision of a guard. He's listed at 6-foot-10, 225 lb. For reference, LeBron James is listed at 6-foot-8, 250 lb.

And without getting too ahead of ourselves, Simmons has been stuffing the stat sheet through his first four games like LeBron. He's averaging 19 points, nearly 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block per game while shooting 58% from the field. In his most recent game, he dropped 21 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals, while flashing his all-around potential.

A rebound and coast-to-coast dunk? Check.

A pass that split three defenders to find a cutter? Check.

And an extra coast-to-coast move for good measure. Again — he's 6-foot-10!

While the game ended in a bit of a black-eye for Simmons, as he passed up the game-winning shot to an open teammate who missed, people couldn't help noticing a similar quality to his play:

This is why, according to Washington Post's Tim Bontemps, 51 NBA scouts and personnel executives flocked to the Barclays Center to watch Simmons play.

As of right now, it appears there will be three teams fighting for the top draft pick next June — the 76ers, Lakers, and Celtics. The 76ers are outright tanking for top picks, and landing Simmons would quicken their rebuild significantly. The Lakers are also off to a poor start, and with three young, intriguing players in Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D'Angelo Russell already in place, Simmons would also speed up their rebuild.

The Celtics are the interesting team in the mix. The Celtics look like a playoff team, but because of the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade in 2013, they own the Brooklyn Nets unprotected first-round pick. With the Nets currently off to a 3-11 start, it looks like the Celtics may be in contention for Simmons. With a core of solid role players and one of the best coaches in the NBA in Brad Stevens, adding Simmons to the mix would be scary for the rest of the NBA.

This has HBO media personality and noted Celtics fan Bill Simmons excited:

Ben Simmons responded, showing his "NBA 2K16" player profile with the Celtics as his favorite team:

As of November 18 — before Simmons' last two games in which he's totaled 44 points, 36 rebounds, and 10 assists — DraftExpress had Simmons going second in their mock draft. It's fair to assume he will jump up to No. 1 after these last two showings.

He still has things to improve upon, of course, and four games is still a very small sample size. He hasn't attempted a three-pointer yet, and his lack of a jump shot is clearly his biggest weakness. Similarly, his current game is very ball-dependent, something that probably won't fly in the NBA where Simmons will have to let true point guards run the offense.

Nonetheless, what Simmons is doing is special. While LeBron didn't go to college, Simmons is in some pretty good company anyway:

If Simmons keeps up this level of play, he's going to create a race in the NBA. Teams make tanking less of a secret each year, and if a game-changing player like Simmons is available, there's going to be a race to the bottom.

The draft is still a long way away, but Simmons already has teams looking ahead to June.

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