The Growing Pains of Ben Simmons

On Sunday, the no. 1 Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the no. 5 Atlanta Hawks in Game 7. Holding the best record in the east, the 76ers could’ve won this series and ended it in five or six games but they couldn’t close. A couple reasons that contributed to Philadelphia being sent home could be Joel Embiid dealing with a partially torn meniscus or Doc Rivers not making the right adjustments. However, the glaring problem after this series is Ben Simmons being exploited for lacking a jump shot and his poor free-throw shooting.

In this year’s playoffs, Ben Simmons shot 34.2% (FT 25-73) from the line. He became a liability at times and specifically at the end of games leaving points on the board. In Game 5, the Hawks charged a comeback erasing a 26-point deficit to win 109-106.

In Game 5, Simmons was 4-14 from the stripe and had he made his free-throws, the series could’ve been different.

Ben Simmons is a 6’11” pass-first point guard/forward who has a great ball handle for his height, a good passer, and his size and versatility makes him excellent at defending multiple positions. Since making his NBA debut in 2017, Simmons’ game hasn’t improved as much as some of the young stars in the league.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted in 2013 and since he’s entered the league, he’s a lot stronger, his handle has sharpened, and he’s a decent mid-range shooter. Ben Simmons is similar in height to the Greek Freak and also came into the league without a perimeter shot. What separates these two is that Simmons refuses to take outside shots whereas Giannis is confident in taking these shots, but sometimes overconfident at times.

This leads me to believe that Simmons hasn’t worked on his free-throws or his jump shot. This is the first time where it hurt his team from winning in the postseason. Simmons is a three-time all-star and made an All-NBA team in the 2019-2020 season but he’s barely scratched the surface of his potential. Another player who has endured similar growing pains but made steadily improvements to his game is Lonzo Ball.

Ball was drafted with #2 overall pick in 2017, a year after Simmons was drafted. Ball came into the league with an immense amount of hype. Coming out of UCLA, he was a pass-first guard who was tall for his position standing at 6’6″. Remember Ball had a funky jump shot where he would bring the ball from the left side and swing it to the right?

Ball shot 41.2% from three at UCLA but his shot didn’t translate to the NBA. In the half-court with the defense set, Ball struggled offensively because he didn’t pose a threat from the perimeter. Simmons and Ball are both pass-first players who excel in the fast break and in up-tempo offenses. Once Ball fixed his form in the offseason, he was able to increase his three-point percentage from 30.5% his rookie year to 37.8% this year, a career-high.

If Simmons can work on his shot, he could be very effective offensively in the half-court. When Simmons has the ball and the defense is set, they drop back into the paint. Simmons doesn’t have the aggression like Giannis to be unstoppable in the paint and he doesn’t have a jump shot like Ball.

Hopefully, Simmons uses his poor playoff performances and fuels it to improve his skills. What I would like to see him improve on this offseason is:

AGGRESSION

Ben Simmons averaged 9.9 points on only 6.4 field-goal attempts in the series against the Hawks. Simmons is too passive at times and when his motor is up and running, he can impact both sides of the floor.

CONFIDENCE

The only time Simmons attempts an outside shot is when the quarter is about to end and he throws up a full-court heave. Simmons isn’t confident enough to take outside shots which needs to change. He was also hesitant to go to the free-throw line. There were moments throughout the Sixers-Hawks series where Simmons wouldn’t touch the ball when the game was tight down the stretch. In Game 7, Simmons passed up an open dunk and instead passed it to Matisse Thybulle, which resulted in one free throw rather than two points . A boost in confidence will benefit Simmons especially in the playoffs when the stakes are high.

IMPROVED FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE

For the 2020-21 season, Simmons shot 61.3% from the free-throw line. He could work on his free throws this offseason and get his percentage up to 68%, which is attainable. During Brandon Ingram’s last year with the Lakers, he became a great mid-range shooter but struggled from the line shooting just 67.5%. In the following season, Ingram’s free-throw percentage skyrocketed to 85.1%. I don’t expect that type of leap from Simmons but he has a lot of room for improvement.

A GO-TO SHOT

Offensively, Simmons only scores in a few ways and that’s dunks, layups, and an occasional hook shot. Simmons needs to find a spot on the court that’s outside of the paint. Whether it’s a ten footer from the baseline or elbow, he needs to expand his ways of scoring, so defenses respect him.

What separates superstars and all-stars is that superstars are always looking for ways to get better. If Simmons doesn’t take advantage of this offseason, I’m not sure if he’ll ever reach his potential.