It has been well documented how much trouble Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has with shooting jump shots, but that doesn't mean that Joel Embiid wants him to stop taking them. Simmons hasn't made a three-pointer since coming into the league. On Christmas Ev,e he made a 22-foot jumper, the longest of his career.

After the Sixers' win on Saturday night over the Mavericks, Embiid told the media he doesn't like shooting threes, but he keeps taking them so the defense has to respect him. He also thinks that is something that will help Simmons game.

“He hasn't been making it, but he's been taking it. That's what matters,” Embiid said of Simmons' starting to shoot jumpers via The Philadelphia Enquirer. “I shot 30 percent from three, but guys still jump when I shot-fake. … Just because you take them, people are compelled to guard that.

“So he's got to keep on taking them, and naturally it's going to go in.”

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So far this season Simmons has shot 78.7 percent of his shots from within 10 feet of the basket which has allowed teams to just crowd the paint and not even guard him from mid-range or outside.

Even if he didn't make a high percentage of shots, if he started shooting more from 15 feet and out, it would force the defense out of the paint and open up the rest of the offense. It will be interesting to see if he does start to take more long shots, but look for it to be an emphasis he works on.