The Philadelphia 76ers are led by two of the brightest stars in the league in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. They are both All-Stars, they have shined on the game’s biggest stage, and they have led the Sixers to success in recent seasons.
Yet, due to some shortcomings by both players, there are questions on whether they fit together.
Simmons has drawn the most ire from everyone due to his lack, or refusal, of a jump shot and that it causes spacing issues on offense. Then there’s Embiid who has drawn criticism for taking too many 3-pointers, but he is only doing what he has to to make sure this all works.
“It’s a problem that a lot of GM’s would like to have if it is a problem,” said general manager Elton Brand. “They’re two All-Stars, we just need to figure out how these pieces fit. I think you can play very fast. Playoffs are going to slow down and you have a dominant post player you can play through also. It’s a good problem to have if it’s a problem.”
Simmons, in particular, has been maddening. He continues to evolve his game defensively as he’s on his way to becoming one of the better all-around players in the league. He has become a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but the jump shot is on the mind of everyone, especially when the playoffs roll around.
“It’s going to be a thing,” Brand continued. “He’s seeing how defenses are playing him and he’s going to have that growth moment and I think he’s going to look back and say ‘I should’ve been doing this a long time ago’.”
Simmons has made the first two 3-pointers of his career this season and they have both looked pretty good. The form is solid, but he just needs to unleash that part of his game a bit more.
“The two he made, it looked good, from the corner in his spot,” the general manager added. “But as a point guard, he wants to make the best play every time and the higher percentage play. That’s just the way his motor works.”
It causes even deeper issues when coach Bett Brown says he wants Simmons to take one 3-pointer a game back on December 7 after he made his second career 3-pointer. Since then, he has not taken a real 3-pointer since and it looks like he just refuses to take them.
Since then, Brown has changed the offense a bit as he has moved Simmons to the roller position on the pick-and-roll and he has continued to move him away from the 3-point line and closer to the basket. His first instinct is still to pass or get to the basket rather than take the jumper.
“Ben’s a point guard, he wants to make the best decision out there,” added Brand. “I never want to take away from all of the elite things he’s doing as a second-time All-Star with his defense. He is spacing more, he is getting to the positions, he’s learning and he’s growing and he’s an elite player. So I don’t want to take away from all of the great things he does, but he’s going to improve and when he does it’s going to unlock another aspect for our team.”
For the Sixers to reach their final destination in June, they will need Simmons to be able to knock down a jumper and give Embiid the space to operate, but there are other options. The team has thought about benching Al Horford and inserting more of a shooter, but the easier option would be for Simmons to just shoot the ball. [lawrence-related id=25259,25249,25238]