Philadelphia 76ers point forward Ben Simmons is one of the league's most unique players. Having won the Rookie of the Year award last season, the lefty sophomore is just scratching the surface of his potential.
In an article by Marc Stein for the New York Times, Simmons was praised as one of the most heralded left-handed superstars in the league. However, there are reasons to believe that the 6-foot-10 forward will switch it up next season.
“It's August, people. Don't get too heated here — not over this. If Simmons goes all righty this season, as some expect, we will adjust.”
Dubbed as the second coming of Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, Simmons had one of the most spectacular rookie seasons in NBA history. His all-around brilliance produced averages of 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.7 steals. He was the undisputed court general for the young Sixers team that made it to the playoffs after a long while.
Last April, Sixers sharpshooter J.J. Redick gave his thoughts on Simmons' shooting form during his own podcast.
“I think Ben’s form left-handed is worse than his form right-handed.
“But I’ve seen Ben’s improvement, and Ben has worked extremely hard with Lloyd Pierce, one of our assistant coaches, after pretty much every practice and every shootaround.
“He’s worked on his shot, and he’s gotten better.”
Redick's statement is founded on how we would see the point forward make right-handed lay-ups and floaters with ease. However, Simmons just laughed off any expectations that he will start shooting right-handed.
https://twitter.com/BenSimmons25/status/1029591795900997632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1029591795900997632&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fexpect-ben-simmons-start-shooting-righty-76ers-star-isnt-one-174226071.html
Still, at a young age of 21, Simmons could consider shaking things up with his shooting form. His inconsistency and unwillingness to shoot outside could be the only weakness in his wide array of unique skills.
Follow Us
Subscribe