Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is one of the unique stars in the league. He can do so many different things on the floor: score, distribute, rebound and play elite defense at the NBA level.
However, he has really struggled to add to his game on the offensive end of the floor.
The biggest issue continues to be his lack of a jump shot and his inability to finish well around the basket. These were issues that were hoped to be solved under coach Doc Rivers, but Simmons’ numbers have actually dipped so far in the 12 games he has played to begin the season.
His scoring average has dipped to 12.3 from 16.4, his field goal percentage has dropped from 58% to 50% while taking fewer attempts, and he has only gotten to the foul line 4.8 times per game compared to 5.2 the previous season.
“I really don’t care,” said Rivers at practice on Tuesday. “Honestly, I don’t even look. I let the world look at it; everyone’s gonna tell you anyway. I’m not that concerned with it yet. Right now, we don’t have enough in to see where any of our guys are at if you’re going to be honest.”
This has always been a consistent message from Rivers. The coach is more focused on wins and being able to put points up on the board despite Simmons’ offensive struggles.
For some nights, the Sixers have had high scoring games. They have had games in which they have scored 127, 141, 137 and 125 points. In Rivers’ eyes, they are working through the kinks and that will allow Simmons to continue working on his game.
“We’re working on it,” continued Rivers. “We had a day today which was important. We worked on a lot of stuff, probably too much, being honest, but we had to, in my opinion, we had no choice, but not that concerned right now.”
The decline has been especially apparent over the past few games since Simmons returned from his knee injury. Over the past three games, Simmons is actually averaging a triple-double of 11.0 points, 11.0 assists, and 10.7 rebounds, but he’s only taking 6.3 shots per game and getting to the foul line only 3.7 times. Considering his size and talent, and the fact Joel Embiid was out for one of those games, those are numbers that should be higher.
Most people are focused on trying to get wins and doing whatever they can in order to get the job done, and that is why Simmons is under such a microscope right now. However, Rivers is more focused on development at the moment seeing the season is still so young.
“That’s really not the way you should be at in this part of the season,” Rivers said of the notion of winning right now. “You should be in working on your execution and getting better mode, and I think most teams are more in than that (mode). Let’s figure it out, see what we can do and then keep working when we have time.”
The Sixers will take on the Boston Celtics on Wednesday to begin a two-game home series with their hated rivals.
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