The Brooklyn Nets have been intentionally vague on whether Ben Simmons will try to extend his shooting range in 2022-23. He flat-out dodged the question at Media Day before passing up open outside shot after open outside shot in his preseason debut, and Steve Nash has maintained throughout preseason that he's not worried whether the three-time All-Star proves himself as a viable perimeter threat.

The value of Simmons taking in-game reps to develop his jumper is debatable. If he was actually ready to splash pull-up 15-footers and catch-and-shoot threes, after all, he'd surely be doing it during practice, right?

What's definitely not up for debate, though, is the overwhelming possibility that Simmons is the same non-shooter he's been throughout his career—a likelihood supported by this viral video of his airball at Nets open practice on Sunday.

All the obvious caveats apply here.

The practice took place at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where wind was surely swirling. Brooklyn wasn't using official NBA balls. It's safe to say Simmons didn't put much thought into his stroke before letting fly, too. One shot is never the be-all and end-all.

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Still, it's impossible to watch footage of Simmons' airball and be encouraged about the state of his jumper and overall confidence. Watch how his left elbow flairs farther out at the last second, forcing Simmons' shooting hand to become even more bent at the time he releases the ball. Yikes. 

Simmons, to be clear, doesn't need to score outside the paint to make a major impact for the Nets in 2022-23.

He was Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2020-21, and is playing in by far the most optimal offensive ecosystem of his career. Simmons will thrive as a transition engine, like always, and his problems in the halfcourt will no doubt be mitigated by the presence of all-court bucket-getters Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, not mention other elite shooters like Joe Harris, Seth Curry and Patty Mills.

But Simmons showing merely marginal growth as a shooter and scorer was a pre-requisite for Brooklyn scraping its championship ceiling this season. As the 82-game grind quickly approaches, there's still no evidence that long-awaited development has come to pass.