An offseason filled with surprises once again dropped a bomb on the fans. Just a few hours into free agency, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Dwight Howard, which was a shock because of how he contributed to the Los Angeles Lakers‘ success last season and helped them with their 17th title. However, it looks like Howard is thrilled to join the 76ers and can’t stop raving about his new teammate, Ben Simmons, so much so that he even compared him to LeBron James.

The belief was that Howard would re-sign with the Lakers. Even Howard himself felt that way because of which he even made his return announcement on Twitter. But because of some miscommunication, this was a false alarm and Dwight deleted that post. And before anyone knew what had happened, the Sixers had signed him.

A stellar rebounding, defensive and offensive rating last season has made Howard a very efficient player on the court. He can impressively protect the rim and be the perfect center the Sixers have lacked all along. And it looks like their recent addition thinks highly of Simmons.

Ben Simmons: The next LeBron James?

Many believe that Simmons and Joel Embiid‘s duo does not sit too well. Is it possible that adding a veteran center to the mix will make the situation better? Only time will tell. Till then, here’s what Howard had to say about Simmons.

According to Tom Moore, Howard stated, “I’ve been saying for a couple years Ben Simmons is a young LeBron. I love the way he plays, how unselfish he is.… He has an opportunity to be one of the greatest to ever play the game.”

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After being drafted in 2016, it wasn’t long before Simmons became the face of the Sixers’ franchise. After being in the league for just three seasons, he is already a two-time All-Star and also an All-NBA player. However, his injuries have seemed to have been a frequent obstacle which has negatively affected the team’s contention.

Most of Philadelphia’s fate rests on Simmons’ shoulders. With Dwight and Danny Green as the new members, it should help ease Simmons’ burden and help the 76ers achieve their goal of going deeper in the postseason.

No matter how great Simmons is, is it fair to compare him to a player who is considered to be the GOAT by so many?