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Kobe Bryant urged for a change in Ben Simmons, noting the Philadelphia 76ers point man might come to regret not developing a jump shot to go with his otherwise dominant physically-gifted game.
“He’s got to get a jump shot,” Bryant said. “It sounds stupid and all that, but I’m dead-a** serious. Because if not, he will regret it when his career is over.”
This is surely not the first time Simmons has heard this type of criticism, be it from outsiders or his very own inner circle, as the lone gap in completing his game.
“That’s what people say, in general,” Simmons said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s not just a Kobe thing. And I know that. I’m trying to develop my game, trying to get better.”
There have been several players to start out their careers without a reliable jump shot, but very few come to mind of such prominence that are also reluctant to attempt them.
Simmons has only attempted four 3-pointers in this, his second season in the league, and is missed all the 15 treys he's attempted over his young NBA career,
Sixers head coach Brett Brown insists that the team has worked with the reigning Rookie of the Year in mustering up the confidence to take and make those jumpers, but it has yet to translate to fruits on the court.
Otherwise, the LSU product has a complete package, boasting strength, athleticism, deft finishing ability and otherworldly playmaking mastery to go with his 6-foot-10 frame as an up-and-coming star of the NBA game.
