Reports: 76ers will draft Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick

The Philadelphia 76ers informed Ben Simmons on Tuesday that they plan to select him first overall at the NBA Draft on Thursday, Cleveland.com first reported.

Simmons, 19, has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick for some time and had a private workout with the Sixers on Tuesday — the only such workout Simmons has done.

The Australian-born forward averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in his freshman year with the LSU Tigers this past season. And he appears to be ready for the next challenge:

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The 76ers are coming off four consecutive losing seasons, the last one a miserable 10-72. They last reached the playoffs in the 2011-12 season.