Ben Simmons is one of the most curious players in the NBA.
He is a 6-foot-10 athletic specimen who is actually a point guard in a power forward's body. He can handle the ball, he can pass, he can rebound and he can guard multiple positions.
But at the same time, he has some glaring weaknesses in his game that he needs to address going forward.
With the Philadelphia 76ers reportedly offering him a $170 million contract, now would be the perfect time for Simmons to begin working harder on his limitations in order to reach that next level.
Here are three things Simmons really needs to work on as he progresses.
3. Aggressiveness
Sometimes, it seems that Ben Simmons does not even want to look for his own shot, which sometimes results in rather puzzling stat lines. Of course, this probably has a lot to do with the fact that he has no perimeter shot (more on that later), but given his size, strength and ball-handling ability, he should be able to get to the rim at will.
Too many times, the 76ers have to rely on Joel Embiid to take over late in games, which becomes a problem when you take into account that Embiid's conditioning is not the best and that defenses can send double-teams.
By Simmons merely coming up the floor and passing the ball off, he is hurting his team, as the opponent does not even have to view him as an offensive threat.
It's about time Simmons starts becoming more assertive and taking matters into his own hands as a scorer more.
2. More Consistent Defense
There really is no reason why Ben Simmons should not be an elite defensive player. He has the size, the length, the athleticism and the footspeed to truly be an impact player on that end of the floor.
And yet, Simmons sometimes finds himself lacking effort on that end of the floor, failing to remain engaged throughout the entirety of a play and sometimes putting forth lazy boxouts which lead to second-chance opportunities.
Not only that, but Simmons is sometimes late on rotations and closeouts and has a tendency to lose his man.
Perhaps simply watching some film and taking defense more seriously as a whole will be the key for Simmons, as he has all the physical tools to be a top-flight defensive player.
1. Take a Guess
You knew exactly what was going to be No. 1: his complete and utter lack of a jump shot.
And when I say “complete lack,” I literally mean complete lack. Over the course of two NBA seasons, Ben Simmons has never made a 3-pointer, going 0-of-17 from beyond the arc.
This absolutely kills the Sixers' floor spacing and allows defenders to almost sag down into the paint when he has the ball, making it that much more difficult for Embiid to get clean positioning and operate in the post.
It's not just the lack of a 3-point shot, either.
Simmons has shot 58.3 percent from the free-throw line over his first two seasons. On shots from 10-to-16 feet out, he is shooting just 29.8 percent. From 16 feet and beyond? He is shooting 27.7 percent (10.5 percent this past year).
Basically, Simmons needs to develop some semblance of a jump shot to truly reach that next level. If he does that, he will become an elite force. But, until then, he is just a really good player who can sometimes be a liability.
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