As everybody knows, the big, and really only, criticism of Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons’ game is his lack of a jump shot. He does everything else at an elite level, but everybody is focused on his jumper.
It is an absolutely important part of the game. The Sixers need some floor spacers to make sure they can move forward with their quest towards an NBA championship and Simmons’ shooting is going to unlock a lot of things for them offensively.
Simmons has made two 3-pointers in the 2019-20 season, the first two of his career, and after he made his second one, coach Brett Brown proclaimed that he wants him to take at least one 3-pointer per game. Unfortunately, that never happened and there was a time where Brown considered benching his star point guard.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Brown told her:
“I told Ben, ‘If you aren’t willing to shoot, then do I just bench you? Because I can do that,'” Brown says. “We could have gone that route or continue to coach him as it relates to spacing. We worked on the ability to use it as a choice to shoot the 3, catch and go, get in the paint, or find someone else.
“This was all discussed. I opted to take this path. I think only down the road will we be able to truly assess if it was the right one. In the meantime, he’s a two-time All-Star, a kid that’s gone from a college 4 to an NBA point guard. His story is a pretty darn good one.”
Nobody would have blamed Brown if he did bench him. Sure, he is supremely talented and his presence on the bench rather than on the floor would hurt the team’s overall performance, but there needs to be a message sent to him. Instead, Brown decided to be a teacher and teach him about spacing on the floor on offense and make him a roller in the pick-and-roll game.
It’s an admirable job by Brown in the grand scheme of things. Benching a guy like Simmons could have had some severe repercussions and instead of going the drastic route, he sat him down and he coached him. It’s the sign of a good coach.
The shooting will come with Simmons. Fans will just have to remain patient. [lawrence-related id=29818,29810,29798]