Much has been made about the Philadelphia 76ers and their lack of spacing. The No. 1 culprit of that problem has been point guard Ben Simmons who remains reluctant to take jump shots. The supremely talented three-year player from Australia worked hard on his jumper during offseason, but 13 games into the 2019-20 season, he has yet to take attempt one.
That hasn’t stopped the All-Star from averaging 13.7 points, 7.1 assists, and 6.0 rebounds in a display of his all-around game. Simmons has the respect from his peers, including Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who gave him a lot of praise after the Sixers knocked off the Cavs on Sunday.
At the end of the day, the Sixers will need Simmons to come up with some type of jump shot if the team intends to take the next step in the Eastern Conference toward the NBA title they’re chasing.
Superstar Joel Embiid discussed this with the Inquirer.com’s Keith Pompey, stating:
But you know, that is him. He is comfortable playing certain ways. For us to win, we are going to need him to shoot. But you know, I am fine with him playing his game, not forcing anything.
“But hopefully, at some point, I am sure he is going to pick it up.
Embiid is absolutely right. As talented and as impressive as Simmons is, the Sixers really need him to start knocking down jump shots to help the spacing issue. He doesn’t need to be pulling up for 30-footers like he’s Stephen Curry or something. If he can provide some semblance of a midrange shot, it will go a long way in helping the Sixers offense move forward.
Coach Brett Brown has said in the past that Simmons’ defense should be the focus, and that may be so. But Brown also alluded to the fact that Simmons’ jumper has to be there when the playoffs come around in April and May. [lawrence-related id=19474,19465,19457]