Ben Simmons calls himself NBA's best defender

The Philadelphia 76ers have the best record in the Eastern Conference right now, and Ben Simmons’ defense has been a big reason why.

After holding Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard to 6-of-21 shooting on Thursday, Simmons hyped up his impact on that end of the floor.

“I think I’m the best defensive player in the NBA,” said Simmons, per Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice. Simmons also noted the pride that he takes in defending top players like Lillard.

The 24-year-old Simmons’ size at 6-foot-11 combined with his physicality and anticipation skills indeed make him a nightmare of a defender. He leads the NBA in deflections per game and also ranks in the top 10 in steals per game.

It is up for debate whether you would rather have Simmons anchoring your defense over Defensive Player of the Year winners like Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Defensive studs like Jrue Holiday, Myles Turner and Marcus Smart are also in that conversation as well. But even based on what Simmons has said in the past, he definitely thinks that he is better than all of those guys.