Ben Simmons is an elite prospect, but is he the next superstar?

— -- For the past several years, ESPN Insiders Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton have provided the kind of discussions that are happening in front offices around the NBA, where scouts and statistical experts are breaking down NBA prospects using their "eyes, ears and numbers."

How good is Ben Simmons?

Chad Ford: On Monday, I spoke with several NBA GMs and scouts who said LSU freshman Ben Simmons is the hands-down No. 1 pick in next year's draft. Many feel it isn't even close.

While he might not be as good as LeBron James or Magic Johnson, Simmons certainly plays a bit like them. Kevin, what are the numbers saying about Simmons six games into the season?

Kevin Pelton: So far, so good. Simmons has shown unique ability to take over a game in a variety of ways, as exemplified by his back-to-back games in Brooklyn in this week's Legends Classic.

Against Marquette, Simmons had a 20-20 game, along with five assists, becoming one of only a handful of major-conference players to reach that mark  in the past two decades.

Tuesday night against North Carolina State, Simmons never got going offensively -- his only field goal forced overtime in the closing seconds -- but still managed to record a double-double with rebounds and assists, just the 14th such game in the NCAA since 2010-11,  according to Sports-Reference.com.

Simmons' advanced stats are strong as well. It's early, and the schedule has been favorable, but he's in the top 10 in NCAA win shares.

What are Simmons' strengths?

Ford: Simmons' combination of size, athleticism and basketball IQ is so unique. It's not every day that you see a player who is 6-foot-10 who truly plays like a point guard.

He has an excellent handle, sees plays before they happen and adds terrific rebounding. His ability to finish at the rim (with both powerful dunks and acrobatic finishes) is special.

But I think what scouts love the most is how Simmons plays the game. He plays with a calm demeanor that belies the fact that he's 19 years old. Coaches covet that type of unselfish, level-headed player.

What do the stats see as his strengths? And do you think they'll translate to the NBA? There aren't a lot of 6-foot-10 point guards in the league.

Pelton: Naturally, that versatility comes out as a strength. In the past two decades, just two players have averaged better than 10 rebounds and four assists per game, both of them at the mid-major level: Ohio's Shaun Stonerook and longtime NBA player Trenton Hassell at Austin Peay. (Draymond Green met both criteria, but not in the same season.)

Simmons is blowing past both marks in the early going. Will that translate to the NBA? The last guy to show similar versatility was UCLA's Kyle Anderson, who averaged 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists as a sophomore.

That hasn't translated yet, in part because Anderson, who was drafted 30th overall in 2014 by San Antonio, isn't good enough for the Spurs to build their offense around his skills. Wherever he goes, Simmons almost certainly will be worth that investment.

What has gotten less attention is Simmons filling up the defensive box score. Simmons is averaging 2.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per 40 minutes. Though Simmons hasn't yet made an impact as an individual defender, his ability to make help plays is encouraging in terms of his defensive and athletic potential.

Should we worry about Simmons' shooting?

Ford: Scouts are also quick to point out that Simmons is far from a finished product at this point. He can be a bit passive when it comes to hunting for his shot.

In particular, Simmons doesn't appear confident at all that he can hit open jumpers. Considering that he's shooting just 15 percent from the floor away from the basket and has yet to take a 3 this season, maybe that lack of confidence is justified.

In your view, how badly does his lack of a jumper hurt his draft stock given the offensive shift in the NBA? As Zach Lowe wrote yesterday, everyone is looking for skilled bigs who can stretch the floor. Simmons is certainly skilled, but will his lack of confidence in his jump shot be his undoing?

Pelton: Surely, modern NBA offenses are designed around having a power forward who can make the 3. At the same time, probably the least important shooter on the court is the one with the ball in his hands.

Think of the difference between Dwyane Wade spotting up -- despite his gravity as a cutter -- and handling the ball.

So I think this is even more reason why whatever team drafts Simmons should plan on using him as a point forward.

If he remains uncomfortable pulling up off the dribble, Simmons will surely see the kind of sagging defense San Antonio famously used against LeBron James in both the 2007 and 2013 NBA Finals.

Still, we're a long way from worrying about that, and it's not like Simmons' form appears completely broken. He's making a respectable 73.1 percent of his free throws.

Does Simmons belong among the best prospects of the past decade?

Ford: I've read others make the claim, and have heard from some scouts, that Simmons is the best prospect since LeBron James. Those are pretty huge shoes to fill. There have been some tremendous draft prospects in that span: Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, just to name three.

While I think he's going to be really, really good, I'm not sure I'd put him in the KD, AD or CP3 camp yet -- certainly not five games into his freshman season. Those guys are top-five players in the NBA.

Or what about rookies like Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis? Considering how well they've started, is it really fair to put him in with those two?

I know it's very early and the sample size is quite small, but where does he stack among the other top prospects who have come into the draft?

Pelton: Something we should recognize is the difference between a prospect and a finished product. Even the very best prospects, like the players you mention, were still no sure thing to end up as good as they became in the NBA. Injuries, off-court issues or misevaluation could have tripped them up along the way, as they did with similar prospects like Michael Beasley and Greg Oden.

So just because Simmons is on their level as a prospect doesn't mean he's necessarily going to end up one of the best players in the league.

From a statistical standpoint, one minor concern does jump out: Simmons is using a relatively low percentage of LSU's possessions for an elite prospect. In fact, versions of usage that don't include assists have him barely playing an above-average role in the Tigers' offense.

That will probably increase over the course of the season (Tuesday's six-shot game may just have been an outlier), and scoring certainly doesn't look like Simmons' best skill. But his usage rate bears watching the rest of the season.

Despite that concern, overall Simmons looks like an elite prospect, a college superstar and a future NBA cornerstone.