Don't get too excited about Simmons playing such a major role in his first major tournament with the Boomers. Mills and Bogut exploded onto the Boomers team at a similar age, but the Boomers were weaker in those teams and the specific roles of each player filled major voids on the team.
I anticipate Broekhoff to hold onto his starting position. Broekhoff provides a deadly perimeter shot, strong rebounding (especially for his size), and reliable defense. He is so underrated in Boomers discussions. This season has an eFG% of 65% in Euroleague. Simmons might be a multi-skilled beast, but I would rate Broekhoff role as being more valuable to this team in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Ingles already has some point forward responsibilities. Ingles is a veteran presence who can move the ball well and hit the outside shot. While Simmons court vision and passing is very impressive, Simmons won't usurp Ingles role in the starting lineup just yet. At the 4 spot, Simmons is competing against some veteran stretch 4s. Lemanis is well known for his use of stretch 4s. Simmons is an anti-stretch 4, a "sag 4", with practically no perimeter shot whatsoever. While the Boomers are relatively weak at the 4, we also need more shooters. Can Simmons provide enough in other areas to justify a starting 4-man role? He is competing against Bairstow, a workhorse with an ever-improving perimeter shot, and Motum, a mobile stretch 4 averaging 14ppg in Euroleague this season.
Simmons will be very useful when Lemanis wants a running game. His explosiveness in starting a fast break off a defensive board is awesome. When the pace of the game is slowed down, reliant on half-court sets, I wouldn't expect to see Simmons much on court.
Let Simmons get some experience at international level first. As dominant as he appears at college level, he still needs to develop more to prove his value at international level, especially on an established team that is not built around him. LSU is using Simmons as a point forward, surrounded by perimeter shooters. That appears to maximise his effectiveness, but it's not the role he will see on the Boomers team. If Simmons continues to develop in the way that he has, he might be able to work his way into the Boomers main rotation for the Olympics.
Will he start in Rio? Doubtful, in my mind. The next World Cup? Probably.
