Q: Would Ben Simmons have recorded a 30/15 game if he had played in the second half of the third quarter and at any point during the fourth quarter?
A: It is not our place as humans to predict the future, but all signs point to “yes”.
I’m going to go out and say it: the Detoilet Pistons ROBBED US of our chance to see Simmons get a 30/15 game. They rolled over so early that Brett Brown could not justify playing Simmons any more than he already had, which was 23 minutes of action. If Simmons had played another twelve minutes, it’s reasonable to expect that Simmons would get eleven more points and six more assists, especially with the way the Pistons were playing defense.
We’ll just have to wait a little bit longer for Simmons to join the elite ranks of the 30/15 club, which includes such superstars as Reggie Jackson, Randy Foye, Ty Lawson, and Brandon Knight.