Much has been made about Ben Simmons' intense offseason training, as he tried to polish the one part of his game that is clearly keeping him from reaching the next level of superstardom: shooting. The Philadelphia 76ers point guard has been a reluctant 3-point shooter, taking 11 threes in his rookie season and eight in his most recent one, yet to capitalize on his first career trey.
At Monday's Sixers Media Day, the lefty made a steadfast promise:
“If It's open, I'll take it,” said Simmons, according to Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice.
Many questioned Simmons' willingness to take 3-point shots more so than his ability to make them, as Hall of Famers like Magic Johnson noted the first step in his progress would be to be willing to miss before he's able to catch a groove and develop into a confident shooter.
The 2017 Rookie of the Year won't go from non-shooter to Ray Allen in the span of one season, but mustering the courage to keep taking shots throughout the game in spite of the misses can be a game-changer for a player whose game is being limited by his lack of confidence.
If Simmons is being succinct about this, the 23-year-old can soon become a well-rounded star, able to ferociously bulldoze his way through defenders as well as pick them apart with finesse with an improved jumper.
We'll see if Simmons has indeed broken down that confidence wall in the first few games of preseason.
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