For a while, there was some thought that Ben Simmons, the nation’s top freshman, would be surrounded by a couple of all-league big men and have a team around him that could do damage in the SEC and even in the NCAA tournament.

However, both Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey decided to bolt LSU for the NBA draft, and now it will clearly be the Ben Simmons Show down in Baton Rouge next season.

Simmons will still have help, but without Martin and Mickey, this team will be more reliant on youth