Philadelphia 76ers rookie point forward Ben Simmons has taken the 2017-18 NBA season by storm. After sitting out his first year due to injury, Simmons has come back strong by joining NBA legend Oscar Robertson as the only players in history to record two triple-doubles in their first nine career games.
Furthermore, he may also be on track to make history in another little-known category. According toank1613 on NBA Reddit, Simmons is on pace to take more than 50 backcourt heaves this year:
Article Continues BelowIn 10 games, Ben Simmons has taken 6 shots classified by NBA Advanced Stats as “Back Court Shots”. While the sample size is small, Simmons has been letting it fly from beyond half court anytime the opportunity is presented. There is no real reason to think the trend will not continue as these shots are more of an indicator of willingness over sheer capability (with the exception of Curry and possibly Jamal Crawford).
To put this number into perspective, Steph Curry finished the 2016-17 NBA season with 20. At this rate, Simmons would likely break the record before All-Star weekend.
The number may come as a bit of a revelation considering the difference in skill sets between Simmons and Curry. In fact, the former No. 1 overall pick still hasn't made a single three-pointer through 10 games this season.