Zachary Simmons

BORN: 26/02/1999

LAST TEAM: Juventus Utena (LIT)

HEIGHT: 208 cm

WEIGHT: 107 kg

PRO

• Good finisher
• Solid rebounder
• Facilitator

WEAKNESSES

• Managing possession
• Free throws percentage
• Shooting range

VIDEO

EUROBASKET.COM

REALGM.COM

ACTUAL

POTENTIAL

INTRODUCTION

Former of North Texas where he played for season as a starter center of the team. He decides to get out of college and moves to Bristol where he starts off the bench and collects great stats like 6th man (9.1 with 6.3 in 21’). For the second year as a professional player he moved to Portugal where he joined a roster that loves to play at a fast pace and shows a great improvement, also being the second best rebounder in the league.

PHYSICAL

He is not a particularly explosive athlete but he moves well, has good timing on basket rolls and is physical enough to resist body contact. Run the court quite well in fast-breaks. On the rebound and as a rim protector he relies more on his ability to take position than elevation.

OFFENSIVE PHASE

Zachary Simmons has good footwork which allows him to be effective both in low post situations and as a roller to the glass. After the screen situations he can also pop to take a shot from beyond the arc with percentages that can certainly be improved (29.9% on 2.3 attempts for match) like the shooting mechanics itself. Very useful for rebounding (2.4) where it guarantees second chances or comfortable tap-ins. He clearly has some difficulties with free throws (60.9%), his shot from mid-range is not always effective; it’s an underestimated passer (2.8 assist) he passes well from low post situations to the spot-upper but he has problem with managing handling and lost a lot of possessions (3.4 turnover) with silly initiatives. 

DEFENSIVE PHASE

Excellent positional sense that allows him to help and cover the way to the basket. Solid enough to hold up in contact situations, on the rebound he has a good box-out and knows how to be found in the right place. He struggles more on switches, can miss a mark, and doesn’t have the lateral mobility to limit them against fast point-guards. He is not very reactive and has hands that are slow enough to play on passing lines. Good rim protector (1 block per match).

IMPROVED AREAS

He has an interesting upside, improved a lot in the two years as a pro player and if he can limit turnovers and find more reliable percentages both from free throws and beyond the arc, he can aspire to an interesting career. He is not an off the charts athlete but has a good understanding of the game which helps him to be productive.