Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has been working on his jump shot this offseason with his brother, Liam Simmons, a former assistant coach at the University of California at Riverside, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Simmons will reportedly continue this work with his brother moving forward.
Simmons is coming off an amazing Rookie of the Year campaign. He averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists in his first season on the court for the Sixers. He led his team to a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference, but the kryptonite that plagued him all season became exposed in the playoffs: his lack of a jumper.
Simmons did not hit a single shot from behind the arc last season. He missed all 11 of his attempts, many of which were half-court heaves at the end of quarters. He shot 54.5 percent from the field, but the bulk of his shots came from dunks and layups. He only shot 56 percent from the charity stripe.
Simmons' athleticism, size, strength and speed helped him get away with the lack of range for most of the season, but his lack of scoring versatility received a lot of attention when he failed to record a field goal in a one-point playoff performance in a loss to the Boston Celtics. Simmons accredited his abysmal shooting night to overthinking.
At 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, Simmons has a tremendous advantage over any point guard who tries to guard him for 94 feet. He has the passing, speed, vertical, strength and defensive versatility to be one of the best players in the league. Even if he only adds a mid-range shot to his arsenal this year, he will be a much more dangerous player in 2018.
Follow Us
Subscribe