Ben Simmons is, by just about any way of measuring, an outstanding basketball player. However, he’s still not much of a shooter. At 6’11 with prodigious ball-handling, court vision, basketball IQ, and passing ability, Simmons doesn’t particularly need to rise and fire, but it’s terrifying to think of what he could be if he ever extends his shooting range.
Of the 80 shots Simmons has attempted this season, 66 of them have been at the rim. Only four of the remaining 14, per NBA.com’s shot zones, have occurred above the free throw line, and Simmons hasn’t attempted any threes this year. It’s something the Sixers can get away with when he’s surrounded by people who can stretch the floor — their lineup with Simmons, Joel Embiid, Robert Covington, J.J. Redick, and Dario Saric throttled opponents last year — but now that Markelle Fultz is back and is still finding his shot, things are complicated.
You can count Brett Brown among those who want to see Simmons try to stretch the floor a bit more. Brown met with the media prior to Philadelphia’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night and said that he wants to see his do-everything guard/forward take more jumpers.
Brett Brown on Ben Simmons’ lack of use on a jumper: “I wish he’d use it more” #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) November 1, 2018
Of course, having Simmons shoot more carries considerable risks, both because he can blow past just about anyone and get to the rim and because his range hasn’t been proven in games yet. Last season, he famously went 0-for-11 from three and shot 27.8 percent on mid-range jumpers. However, it stands to reason that Brown wouldn’t encourage Simmons to take more shots if he couldn’t, you know, make them.
It isn’t of critical importance to the Sixers that Simmons starts hitting jumpers, but it’d be one heck of a boost for a team with high expectations this season. We’ll see if Simmons takes his coach’s advice to heart and lets it fly on Thursday night.
