The future of basketball is a 6-foot-10 Aussie

I saw the future of basketball by accident. He appeared on my smartphone.

I was watching college hoops on the ESPN app.

And that's when he appeared, sprinting down the court, Ben Simmons. 

Here are basic facts you should know about Ben Simmons: He's Australian. He's a 6-foot-10 freshman. He plays for Louisiana State University. He's already being compared to both Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Scouts flock to his games. He's widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft. That's why many consider him the future of basketball.

"Ben Simmons is the one that has the total package. He has everything," says Damian Arsenis, editor of the Australian basketball website The Pick and Roll. "We're talking about a future NBA all-star here in the making, if not more than that."

He gets to watch Ben Simmons play live because ESPN Australia is broadcasting almost every LSU basketball game. They come on in the middle of the day. But he still tries to watch as many games as possible. Arsenis has been watching Ben Simmons play since the basketball player was just a kid. Even then, he knew Simmons was more child prodigy than child.

"You just saw that talent was just oozing from him. And it was that level above. It was like you had this older kid playing against younger kids," he says.

It still looks that way. On the court, against college athletes, it looks like Simmons is playing against high school kids. It's not fair. The impressive part is how he plays. It's Australian way: selfless.

"The Australians are team first players," he says. "They are brought up being a team. The focus is on being a team and not being about me."

His critics complain that Simmons is too selfless. He needs to score more. Much of this criticism stopped when Simmons dropped 43 points on North Florida earlier this season. Only two other LSU players have done that before: Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal and "Pistol" Pete Maravich.

Such feats are why people are rocking LSU Tiger gear on the streets of Melbourne. They're proud of Ben Simmons. And they're proud of Australian basketball. When you look at the current NBA, you can spot Australians holding down roster spots on some of the top teams. And Aussie basketball fans are pumped.

"Oh, it's very exciting," he says. "Look, basketball is on the rise. We've got so much talent coming through but it really just needs a face to help drive that. And I think Ben Simmons can be that face."

Arsenis is already dreaming about whom Simmons will play for when he turns pro. In the NBA, the worst teams in the league get the first picks at the end of the season. And this year, one of the most famous teams in the league — the Los Angeles Lakers — are also one of the worst.

"Seriously, imagine if Ben Simmons landed on the Lakers?" he says. "Imagine what that would do worldwide for Australia."

Now, that's getting a little ahead of ourselves. Ben Simmons still has to finish his college season. And draft day is a long ways away. But that's what happens when you watch him play. He's so good. You just can't help but think about the future.