The Philadelphia 76ers have two of the best players in the game leading the way in the form of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The two of them are All-Star players and are both in the top 15 in the game.
However, it just seems that they can both give more.
Simmons’ big criticism has been the lack of a jump shot. The fact that he won’t even attempt them has been mind-boggling for the majority of the fan base. On the flip side, he does everything else at an elite level and that is why the whole no jump shot thing can be a bit nitpicky at times.
Former Sixers coach Larry Brown went off on everybody who thinks Simmons needs that 3-point shot as he joined NBC Sports Philadelphia’s podcast Sixers Talk to give his opinion on Simmons.
Brown said:
I can’t believe people in Philly are worried about Ben Simmons shooting a 3-pointer. That kid’s as good as any player in the league. He doesn’t need to shoot a 3-pointer. God might punish me for saying that, but he can guard, he rebounds the ball, he passes the ball as well as anybody, he’s completely unselfish, but it’s a different game. If you looked at the teams back then, the only guys who shot 3-pointers were guys who could make them. Now everybody shoots them.
There is a reason why Simmons has been an All-Star in each of the last two seasons. He is a guy who can defend at an elite level, can finish in transition, and he has morphed into a closer on the defensive end of the floor. He is one of the top players this league has to offer. The jump shot is important and that has to come, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is an elite talent.
When it comes to Embiid, the big criticism with him is he is either out of shape or he takes too many 3-pointers when he should be on the low block. Brown had this to say about the big man:
When I see Joel, I don’t think anybody’s better than him. He might get mad at me today, but he needs to get on the block and he needs to block every shot and denominate it on the post, because that will open it up for everybody else. I don’t think there’s a better big man in the game than him…My hope for him is to think about Kobe and Michael and watch The Last Dance and realize the gift that he has and spend all his time working on that craft, because there’s nobody who could be more dominant than him.
The Simmons and Embiid duo has received their fair share of criticism and doubt, but there is no denying their talent. A little more work on each of their games and they could become one of the best duos the league has ever seen. [lawrence-related id=30828,30820,30812]