"Still you gotta be able to make shots to finish games, if they're gonna win the East" - NBA analyst asserts Ben Simmons will be a problem for Nets if he doesn't shoot, says playing as a guard is not a solution
Ben Simmons recently appeared on J.J. Redick's podcast, The Old Man and The Three, where he discussed a variety of topics. Simmons revealed that he will shoot more threes this upcoming season, which will be his first with the Brooklyn Nets.
Ben Simmons says he'll shoot 3s this season, Nets will be 'champions' if we 'get it all together'
cbssports.com/nba/news/ben-s… https://t.co/zxnSQtiM13
NBA analyst Jalen Rose appeared on NBA Today to discuss Simmons' comments.
When talking about Simmons, the former NBA player shared the importance of developing and utilizing his jump shot, stating:
"The narrative around shooting will continue to be something we talk about with Ben Simmons because the game is very hard. When you can't shoot, what ends up happening is [you're] not going to be playing at the top of the floor as the point guard"
"You'll be able to hide it during the game, but there's other parts of shooting, too, like free throws. So if we're going to have [him] finish the game, we can have him play small ball five. We can have him do a lot of stuff. Still, you gotta be able to make shots to finish games if they're gonna win the East."
While we've seen Simmons hit jumpers in practice and open gym runs, he has yet to do it consistently during NBA games. Simmons is a phenomal player with high basketball I.Q., defensive versalitity, and exceptional playmaking skills. The only thing holding him back from being a true superstar is his ability to hit jumpshots.
Watch Jalen Rose and the NBA Today crew discuss Ben Simmons below:
Ben Simmons revisited the dunk he did not take in the 2021 playoffs
Ben Simmons missed the entire 2021-2022 season due to a lingering back injury and mental health concerns.
He hasn't appeared on the court since the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on June 20, 2021.
Simmons famously passed up a wide-open dunk that would have tied the game with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Sixers were never able to gain any momentum after that play, and eventually lost by a final score of 103-96.
Much of the negative discourse around Simmons, including his departure from Philadelphia, stemmed from that late-game incident.
During his appearance on The Old Man and The Three podcast, Simmons opened up about the viral moment. While he admitted he should have dunked the ball, Simmons explained that he didn't realize it was Trae Young who was closing in on him.
He admitted that the play looked bad in retrospect, but things are always different in the heat of the moment.
Ben Simmons and @jj_redick revisit the passed-up dunk in Game 7 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Watch the full episode: youtu.be/HT1n31Wh0P0 https://t.co/HR7HHIpWeT
Simmons will look to return to form in 2022-23. He has been selected to three NBA All-Star Games, and two NBA All-Defensive First Teams so far in his young career. He also won an NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2018, and was the NBA steals leader in 2020.
Playing alongside superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will take a lot of the pressure off of him. He will thrive as the third option on a team with championship aspirations.
Watch Ben Simmons' full appearance on The Old Man and The Three below: