When one has a paradigm shift, it is meant that a person has a philosophical change of thinking. It is defined as a fundamental change in approach to whatever that person is working on and it can open up other aspects of that person’s life.
For Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons, this definition could be used in plenty of ways for his basketball career. Maybe it means he will be more aggressive and get to the foul line or maybe it means that he could be shooting more jumpers which would excite a lot of people.
For coach Brett Brown, he still believes the Simmons’ jump shot topic is a bit overrated, but he does notice a difference in his All-Star point forward.
“I think this area is arguably one of the most overrated topics I’ve been a part of in coaching,” Brown started with. “Ben Simmons is going to play basketball and the court is going to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. You can say ‘well I don’t agree with you coach Brown’ or you can say ‘fair enough’. I feel like his mindset to willingly find space and find threes, that has been a paradigm shift.”
The lack of a 3-point shot is still the one real criticism of Simmons’ game. He has only made two in his career and it is a glaring weakness in a league that is predicated on shooting. The team has noticed more shooting out of him during this training camp period in Orlando and that does lead Brown to believe that there will be something new for him in games.
“That has been an attitudinal change, an internal decision, because I’ve seen a player that’s cocky and playing and when the game says shoot because nobody’s on you, he doesn’t blink and his teammates love it,” Brown added. “As far as going deeper than that like numbering it up and sitting him if he doesn’t shoot, I’m not doing that. I’m proud of how he personally has handled what I think is going to be a paradigm shift and we’re going to see ultimately transform as we start playing basketball games.”
When the Sixers take on the Memphis Grizzlies in a scrimmage game on Friday, that will give Simmons his first chance at showing off this new paradigm shift that Brown is talking about. Tip-off in Orlando is set for 3:30 p.m. EST. [lawrence-related id=35294,35287,35278]