Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons was a big piece in their 119-116 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday as he came up large on the defensive end late. He recorded three of his four steals in the final 19 seconds to seal the comeback win and he was terrific on the defensive end all night long.
On the offensive end, he finished with 15 points and 13 assists as he did a great job of running the offense. He also finished a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line in a sign that he’s beginning to become more aggressive for the Sixers. The blemish on Simmons’ stat line is his lack of finishing around the basket as he finished 4-for-13 from the floor and that’s something that must improve.
Coach Brett Brown stated post-game:
You know how I have been on since we have brought him into the program, his finishing is always on my mind. We’re not talking about dunks, it’s that little three foot thing that we’re talking about and he has to get better at it, that gather step where he’s going one extra step or he’s going one extra dribble and not being bumped off his driving line and more fading and more straight line through people, Giannis-like, I thought he was really good doing that tonight. The seven free throws that he shot and he made them all, he looked confident doing that. I think there is progressive growth in that area of going body-body ball and inviting that physical style to get way more free throws.
As terrific as he was on the defensive end, the offensive end was a bit of a mixed bag. However, the fact that he was aggressive and took 13 shots along with the fact that he had seven attempts from the line is a good sign for him offensively despite the fact that he had issues finishing around the rim.
Becoming more aggressive is something that his teammates have been encouraging him to do as he stated:
It’s really been Joel and guys like that making sure I’m being aggressive and getting to the rim. Once I’m doing that, I’m able to make plays and find my guys in the corners or Joel rolling.
Ben Simmons says Joel Embiid and his teammates are the guys who are pushing him to attack the rim #Sixers pic.twitter.com/IBWCEtx6RD
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) December 1, 2019
Simmons and the Sixers will look to continue their growth both as a team and as a player on Monday when they welcome in Donovan Mitchell the Utah Jazz. [lawrence-related id=20365,20357,20347]