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Jimmy Butler is hoping to see a radical change in Ben Simmons' aggressiveness through the rest of a closely-contested series against the Toronto Raptors, after the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves with a series tied at 2-2, with only one home game left.
“I told him (Simmons): every time down the floor to attack,” said Butler, who led the 76ers with 29 points and 11 rebounds, according to Sacha Pisani of The Sporting News.
“Every single time. If coach calls the play and you feel like you got the mismatch, by all means attack. And then if coach says ‘Why'd you do it?' I promise you I will say ‘I told him to do it.'”
Simmons, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is still figuring out how to evolve into his stardom — at times taking instructions to the letter and not making use of his special talents for the betterment of the team.
The point-forward is at times reluctant to attack at will and will defer to Butler, who has become the pseudo-point-guard of this team during the series thanks to his mastery of the pick-and-roll game.
Simmons shines in transition, but at times his opportunities to put the Raptors defense on its heels are being wasted by relying on Butler, instead of putting the pressure on the defense to react.
“I want Ben to be aggressive just like I want Jo (Embiid) to be aggressive,” said Butler. “Attack. We're not gonna win without you guys. You have to be ready to attack it at any point in time.
“If he has the ball in transition, (I'm like) ‘Ben, don't pass the ball in transition. Attack every single time'. That's how we're gonna win this game.”
Simmons only scored 10 points in 38 minutes — but his reluctance to attack and seek contact likely boils down to his poor acumen at the foul line, where he will have to earn his living against these playoff-savvy Raptors.
The 6-foot-10 point man has yet to make a free throw in this series, going 0-for-3 from the line. He shot a lackluster 58.3% in his last series against the Brooklyn Nets, along with a 60% clip for the regular season.
