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Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons knows he has a long way to go before he becomes a respected shooter, but is conscious of his areas of strength. The Sixers point man has worked extensively on his jumper this summer but has only made and attempted one jumper from beyond the arc.
“It's not that I don't need to do it,” Simmons said this preseason when asked about his lack of shooting, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. “I'm confident in saying I'm not a great shooter. I'm getting better, though.”
“I lack something that I'm not as great at, but in other areas I'm very great. I run the floor as well as anybody. I'm physical. I can rebound at 6-foot-10. I'm a point guard that can guard 1 through 5. That's just one thing that's coming into my game, which I'm excited about.”
Simmons' lone 3-point attempts came during an exhibition game by the Sixers against the Guangzhou Long-Lions, up 39 points at halftime.
Only then did the former Rookie of the Year feel confident enough to step out and launch a jumper, failing to do so in his other two preseason appearances. Longtime columnist Marc Stein of The New York Times predicted Simmons would only cash in on three jumpers from beyond the arc this season after going 0-for-17 in his first two pro seasons.
Simmons will need to develop some sort of a jumper and very soon, as his physical gifts could be slowed down at any point, rendering most of his strengths useless without a very fundamental part of the game.
