Ben Simmons is finally starting to let it fly, but coach Brett Brown wants more
After sitting out his entire rookie season due to a foot injury, Ben Simmons has largely lived up to his billing as the #1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. A 6-10, 240-pound point guard, he combines size, strength, speed, athleticism, and an uncanny court vision. He is too big for guards and most small forwards, and he is too quick and athletic for many big men. He is a triple-double threat every night and has proven to be a formidable defender.
Simmons has been compared to the likes of LeBron James, Penny Hardaway, Lamar Odom, and of course, Magic Johnson. He and fellow young superstar Joel Embiid have developed clear chemistry since they first took the court together in 2017. They are among the best big man-point guard combos in the NBA. However, the one weakness and question about Simmons, has been his ability to shoot from the outside and from the free-throw line. This has been a debate going back to LSU. His reluctance to take 3-pointers or even short-range jump shots has actually become a punchline for Ben Simmons.
Coming into this season, Simmons shot 0-for-17 from the 3-point line; even Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard hit more career 3-pointers than Simmons. His inability to shoot has caused problems in the Sixers championship aspirations. In his rookie season, his offensive deficiencies were exposed against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, and last season against the eventual NBA champions Toronto Raptors, he once again disappeared in key moments. Both losses were in the Conference Semis, with the last one coming in heartbreaking fashion courtesy of Kawhi Leonard.
Because Simmons won’t go outside, he forces Joel Embiid to play on the perimeter and take threes in order to avoid clogging the lane. While Embiid is a capable 3-point shooter, he is clearly at his best using his considerable size and strength in the post. However, Simmons was seen practicing his shot, including threes, in the offseason, and in one preseason game against China’s Guangzhou Loong Lions, he was open and decided to let it fly from downtown. It was nothing but net, and the crowd went wild.
A few weeks later, in the regular season, Simmons connected on his first official 3-point attempt of the season in the first quarter against the lowly New York Knicks from the corner.
Last Saturday, once again from the corner, he hit his second career three-pointer (and second of the season) against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Simmons is now 2-of-4 for the season from 3-point range, for a percentage of 50%. It is certainly some progress, but there is still some criticism. The three notable three-pointers he has hit have come against an international team and two bad NBA teams. The question is whether he has the confidence to take and hit them against much stiffer competition. Furthermore, Sixers head coach Brett Brown wants Simmons to be confident enough to take at least one three-pointer per game to further evolve his game and provide more efficiency.
Simmons certainly has more responsibility to shoot with the offseason departures of Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick. This statement has been said to varying degrees for 3 years now, but it bears repeating: if Ben Simmons can develop a consistent jump shot, it can help him become an even more dominant player and help the 76ers reach the next level.