The debate surrounding Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons rages on. Will he shoot a jump shot? Can he even shoot a jump shot? It would help the Sixers so much more!
All of that may be true and one former NBA All-Star believes that he can help the team more by expanding his game.
Jameer Nelson, a former stand out at St. Joseph’s University and 14-year NBA veteran as well as an All-Star in 2009, was in Philadelphia on Tuesday night to promote 3X3 for USA Basketball. Naturally, the subject of the Sixers and Simmons was brought up.
“He is who he is,” Nelson said. “They knew that coming into the draft, they knew that when they drafted him, and they knew that every coming into every season that he was going to be himself and so far, it’s worked for him individually.”
He’s right in that sense. Simmons is one of the top 20 players in the league regardless of position and he does so many amazing things on the floor. He has been All-Star for two consecutive seasons and he has become one of the better defenders in the league as well.
However, the team has come up short in the playoffs with him and his lack of a jump shot. So what if he did come up with one?
“I think if he expands his game a little bit more by shooing like everybody else says, it can help the team,” Nelson continued. “My thing is, it may hurt who he is in transition because now he may want to take more jump shots, it might take away from that too.”
For Simmons to develop that jumper though, it is not just on him. This is on coach Brett Brown and the entire organization to work with him on it and make sure he develops it.
“It’s selfish to think that it’s all on one player,” Nelson added. “When you’re on a team, it goes from management all the way down to the last player, the coaches, everybody so everybody plays a part. My thing is, if they want that from him, they have to find a way to get it out of him and it goes mentally. Everybody has to play a part so it’s not just on him.”
For the moment, Simmons is dealing with a nerve impingement in his back and he is out for the time being, but when he does return, it is on everybody in the organization to make sure he develops that jump shot. It is not just on one guy. [lawrence-related id=27493,27482,27455]