Talent alone does not make one great, and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers is willing to put in the time to achieve this goal.
As reported by Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com, who attended a fan event over the weekend, Simmons believes that the slow and hard is the right and only way to greatness:
“You’ve got to start slowly,” said Simmons, who shot 56.0 percent from the foul line, and scored 80.4 percent of his points in the paint (fifth-most in the NBA). “If it’s adding a free throw that gets up to 80.0 percent, that’s about five more points right there. If you add little things and keep adding over time, that’s how you become great.”
It's an interesting observation by Simmons, who'll be entering his second season in the NBA. He's aware that not all of the legends that came before him rose to stardom right away. Some took a bit of time before they were considered one of the league's bests.
Kobe Bryant, while wildly popular when he came into the league, took around two to three years before he unleashed his potential. The likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, or LeBron James, made it seem that they were NBA-ready from the time they were born. Each player has their own journey, and trying to replicate one might not be the right course of action.
Simmons took his own words to heart. Last season, we saw a 6-foot-10 athlete with the passing vision of a point guard. This season, might we see the same player now armed with a reliable jump shot?
“If you take [jump shots], [teams] give you a little bit more respect, and you’re able to make more moves and dissect the defense,” Simmons said. “This summer, I’ve been working a lot on certain things that I’ll definitely use.”
