The basketball gods can be a petty bunch, as they proved on March 28 in the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the New York Knicks.
Early in the second quarter, superstar center Joel Embiid bent down to corral a loose ball. As he stooped down to the height of a normal NBA player, Markelle Fultz rammed his right shoulder—the same shoulder that forced the No. 1 overall pick to miss 68 games this year—into Embiid’s chiseled face.
At the time, it seemed a cruel reminder that the 76ers can never have all their nice toys up and operational at the same time.
Though the situation wasn’t completely devoid of hope—the Sixers were already locked into a playoff spot and were rolling with seven consecutive victories—the early fears were somewhat demoralizing.
But the Process was built to be superstition proof; to reach beyond the petty basketball gods and find strength in numbers.
Prior to a mask adorning Embiid’s face, his healthy visage and talents worked to hide the full breadth of Ben Simmons’ talents.
Justifiably, prevailing logic was the Sixers would limp into the playoffs. Philadelphia’s likely Rookie of the Years was great in his own right, but you don’t lose Joel freakin’ Embiid and just keep on chugging.
Welp.
The Sixers dispatched the Knicks with ease, immediately avenging the loss of the fallen big man, then proceeded to close out the season with eight more consecutive victories (finishing the season on 16-game winning streak).
In light of the sustained success, it’s become clear the basketball intelligentsia didn’t overrate Embiid but failed to fully appreciate Simmons.
In the eight games after Embiid went down, Simmons averaged 15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 3.1 steals + blocks on 60.6 percent true shooting in just 29.2 minutes per game. In Philadelphia’s 5-game, first round victory over the Miami Heat, Simmons posted averages of 18.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals + blocks on 55.9 percent true shooting.
Ben Simmons is already a superstar. Watching him in the playoffs, it’s terrifying to see him already capable of leading his team to victory seemingly whenever he wants.
Yet, he does this—notably for a point guard—without a jump shot. Of Simmons’ 999 field goal attempts this regular season, just 42 came from outside 10 feet, and 12 of those (all his 3-point attempts) were heaves.
We know the drawbacks of point guards who can’t shoot—the John Walls and Russell Westbrooks of the world—and acknowledge it’s a major hindrance to their games. But Simmons is another level of unable—completely unwilling.
Among all players who tallied at least 200 assists this regular season, not one attempted fewer threes than Simmons, not even Andre Drummond.
And the impact of that unwillingness to shoot is both evident and measurable:
Take this example from Game 5 vs. the Heat, where Simmons dumps the ball off to Embiid. Both Embiid and Simmons’ defenders can collapse in on the Embiid drive because Simmons sure as hell isn’t going to make them pay from the behind the arc. Embiid, therefore, must take a difficult, contested layup, and the Heat get an easy stop.
The defense can’t do that against normal superstar point guards and the effect is measurable. With Simmons on, the Sixers’ half-court offense simply isn’t good. They generate 94 points per play, which ranks in the 62nd percentile among all players.
So, how can a superstar be a superstar if he leads a middling half-court offense? Ben Simmons’ nifty solution to being containable in the half court is don’t play in the half court.
This regular season, the Sixers placed fourth in pace at 102.2 possessions per game. That’s fast, certainly, but it doesn’t quite do justice to the Simmons effect.
Embiid, swiftly as he moves for a 7’2” giant, is a 7’2” giant. When Simmons occupied the court with Embiid this season, the Sixers played at a pace of 100.71, which was a touch over league-average of 99.57. However, with Simmons on and Embiid off, that number skyrocketed to 104.48. For reference, the New Orleans Pelicans boasted the league’s highest pace at 102.73.
That faster pace was a reflection of a massive increase in transition opportunities, as Philly’s transition frequency jumped from 15 percent (48th percentile for all lineups) with both young stars on to 17.7 percent (85th percentile) with just Simmons on. Philadelphia wasn’t a particularly efficient transition team, but inefficient transition basketball is still massively more productive than highly efficient half-court basketball.
Simmons is unbelievably good at creating pace. Over those final eight games in the regular season without Embiid, the Sixers led the league in pace at a blistering 106.07 possessions per game. During the playoffs, they’ve led the league in pace, as well.
Simmons is always pushing:
He routinely gets out in front of the defense, creating odd man breaks and serving easy looks to teammates on sparkling silver platters.
A player who can grab and go is unbelievably useful, and Simmons is elite at it:
When Simmons collects a rebound, it’s instantaneous. He pushes with fury, outrunning everyone, destroying the defense before it’s even set.
What makes Simmons exceptional, though, is his complete and all-consuming devotion to the church of pace:
See how the camera is initially focused on Heat guard Goran Dragic? That’s because he just scored. Frantically, the camera switches to Simmons galloping across half court, where he finds a defense not quite ready for him (notice Bam Adebayo terrified of conceding a trailer three to Ersan Ilyasova). Simmons, therefore, has a relatively unobstructed path to the basket. There’s no help, no paint-packing, which he’d be sure to encounter in more of a half court setting.
Simmons is unbelievably good at pushing off made baskets. It’s unexpected and seems to perpetually catch defenses off guard. It’s both a testament to his dedication to pace and massively effective.
Where Simmons’ inability to shoot could have doomed the Sixers’ offense this year, his ability to create pace has transformed it. With Simmons on-court, the Sixers posted a respectable 109.4 offensive rating this season. In the playoffs, that mark has jumped up to 110.1.
Simmons, therefore, has proven himself. Despite being burdened with the most debilitating weakness a point guard could possibly have, he’s led strong Philadelphia offenses both in the regular season and playoffs. And the implications of that are deeply troublesome for 29 teams.
Ben Simmons is a superstar…and he might shoot jumpers with the wrong damn hand. No matter, Simmons is going to terrorize the league for the next decade plus. Toss a jumper into the mix, and we could well and truly have LeBron James 2.0 on our hands.
The basketball gods may be petty, but in Ben Simmons, they may have a superstar who can outrun their wrath.
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