Sixers star Ben Simmons scored a career-high 42 points against the league-leading Utah Jazz on Monday night. The Australian was incredible as he attacked the rim relentlessly, while also grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out 12 assists.
This feat is made more impressive by the fact that Utah has an elite defense, anchored by two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Another surprising statistic was that Simmons shot 12 of 13 from the charity stripe. His shooting struggles have been well-documented and been the subject of countless memes and jokes.
A caveat to Simmons' performance was the absence of Embiid. With the Sixers' star center out due to back issues, his 20 or so shot attempts had to be redistributed. This is also why forward Tobias Harris had a great outing with 36 points and 10 rebounds.
In an interview with ESPN, Simmons realized he had to step up.
“There's nights where I feel like I am dominant, but it may not look like a 40-point game. I might have a triple-double and we might win by 20, whatever the case is. It might be on defense. [But] yeah, I definitely had to pick up the slack with Joel out.”
Simmons showed a willingness to take control of the game, something not seen from him very often. Aside from scoring in the paint, what Simmons usually does is play elite defense against the opposing team's best player and facilitate the offense – not exactly the first things that come to mind when taking over a game. As of late, Simmons has been ramping up his scoring, while still not hijacking the Sixers offense.
This aggressive version of Simmons will make Philadelphia a serious championship contender. His mix of size and speed make him a matchup nightmare. He can bully most forwards with his 6'11, 240-pound frame and dash past the other team's centers.
With the addition of Seth Curry and Danny Green on the team, Simmons has more room to operate and is spotting cutters and open shooters. After several years in the league, Simmons still has no intent on taking mid-range jumpers, let alone outside shots, so head coach Doc Rivers will have to be creative in his schemes, especially in the playoffs.
One of the biggest issues of the Sixers is that their best players – Embiid and Simmons are both interior scorers. There is a trend that when one of them is out the other has a great outing due to improved spacing. The real test is if Simmons can deliver big performances while sharing the court with Embiid.
Follow Us
Subscribe