Steve Nash On Ben Simmons’ Responsibilities With The Nets: ‘I Don’t Care If He Ever Shoots A Jump Shot’

Good news, everyone: It is that magical time in the NBA offseason where people are talking about Ben Simmons’ jumper. Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets are entering the 2022-23 campaign with high, albeit potentially tricky, expectations for what they can achieve if everything clicks this year. It will mark the first time since the 2021 playoffs that we have seen Simmons play basketball, and the last time he suited up for a game, he did so as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

One point of intrigue for Simmons is that he is, in theory, on a team that will allow him to be fully optimized on the offensive end. The concept of Simmons being surrounded by potentially four ultra-elite shooters in Seth Curry, Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, and Kyrie Irving is exciting, in part because it minimizes the likelihood that he’ll ever be asked to shoot — Simmons’ entire NBA career has been one big question of whether or not he will ever consistently shoot the ball during games, and to this point, the answer has been no.

His jumper once again became a topic of conversation when Steve Nash spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon and dove into the All-Star’s role. In Nash’s eyes, Simmons can have different jobs on either end of the floor but made one thing clear: his jumper will not be important.

Over the course of his career, Simmons has hit five of his 34 attempts from beyond the three-point line.