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Throughout his NBA career, one narrative has always been held over Ben Simmons' head. He is a phenomenal talent in multiple facets of the game, but his reluctance to shoot on the perimeter will be his downfall. The former No. 1 pick by the Philadelphia 76ers was always encouraged to expand that area of his game, it just never materialized during his tenure with the Sixers.
Following a mega-deal between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons finds himself with the change of scenery he has long-awaited since the offseason. The three-time All-Star will be joining forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving while James Harden is heading to the Sixers.
Before their matchup with the Miami Heat, Nets head coach Steve Nash opened up on the addition of Simmons to the roster. As expected, questions arose about the 25-year-old's unwillingness to shoot from beyond the arc. Surprising to nobody, Nash talked about Simmons' offensive shortcomings like they were a non-issue.
"Ben does 1,000 things on the basketball court, shooting is not one that I'm dying to see. He is an amazing basketball player."
-Steve Nash on Ben Simmons pic.twitter.com/SkqZspReOB
— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) February 12, 2022
In the past, we have seen coaches take different paths when it comes to this matter. Towards the end of his time as Sixers' head coach, Brett Brown publicly said he wanted at least one three a game from Simmons. He did not respond to this demand, and Brown later parted ways with the franchise.
Nash opted to go the route Doc Rivers did last season. The future Hall of Fame constantly praised Simmons for the things he does well and rarely discussed his weak points. Rivers even went as far as to say that he was a “treasure” at one point. Despite the constant praise from his coach, nothing ever changed when it came to Simmons' outside attempts.
Given the situation, it's not surprising Nash brushed it off. With the plethora of knockdown shooters on the Nets' roster, opponents will not be able to exploit Simmons' weakness to the degree they could in years past.
One thing is for sure, no matter what approach was taken, the same final result is guaranteed. Not wanting to get off on the wrong foot with his new star talent, Nash went for the safe route.
