Ben Simmons is Better than you Think
After the Philadelphia 76ers rebuilt their entire roster through the NBA draft, now called the “Process” by superstar Joel Embiid, many hopeful Sixers fans were excited to see a championship run by the young roster. Over the past few years, the 76ers have made multiple playoff runs, coming up short every time. This didn’t discourage Philadelphia fans, as after every failed run, there seemed to be a scapegoat they could blame it on. Originally, this was the lack of 3 point shooters on the roster, injuries from star players, or poor coaching from former coach Brett Brown.
However, the 2021 season looked to be a change of pace from these excuses. The 76ers signed veteran 3 point shooters Danny Green and Seth Curry, signed a Hall of Fame coach in Doc Rivers, and Joel Embiid had hardly any injury problems while producing MVP caliber numbers. Philadelphia ended up with the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference, the first time they’ve done so since 2001, the great Allen Iverson led them to a Finals appearance. Yet, despite all of this success, Philadelphia was knocked out of the playoffs in the second round in a wild, 7 game series upset against the Atlanta Hawks. There was only one scapegoat left for Philadelphia fans to blame; Ben Simmons.
Ben Simmons has always been an interesting star player. He has always been able to make an impact on the floor, averaging around 7.7 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game throughout his NBA career. For reference, that’s enough for the 12th most assists per game in the NBA and the 3rd most rebounds per game for a point guard.
Additionally, Ben Simmons placed 2nd in Defensive Player of the Year voting just behind the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert. Simmons averaged 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game this year, with a defensive rating of 106.1 this year, which is tied for fourth highest in the league. Simmons has shown to be an amazing defender, being able to guard every position on the floor.
Simmons is an expert at getting into passing lanes to interrupt plays, even when those passes are coming from some of the best playmakers in the NBA, such as Damian Lillard and James Harden.
So what is the issue that makes Simmons such a liability, why coach Doc Rivers had to bench Simmons at the end of each game against Atlanta in the playoffs? His scoring, in particular, his inability to shoot a basketball.
Simmons has shown throughout his career an exceptional ability to create shots for his teammates, yet has always struggled to create shots for himself. In the 2021 season, Simmons averaged a measly 14.3 points per game, coming in at 74th most points per game this year. But can Simmons really be that bad at shooting? In the modern-day NBA, the 3 point shot is a go-to shot for most point guards. In fact, the average 3 point percentage for point guards is 35% from the field. Ben Simmons? 14% on 34 shot attempts. That’s pitiful compared to every other star player in the league.
The good thing is the 3 point shot isn’t the only shot in basketball. So what about the mid-range? Well, it’s not much better, as in the 2021 season Simmons shot around 35% from mid-range. This is actually close to the league average of 38.2%, but it’s still not efficient. The only shot where Simmons is efficient is from 0–5 feet from the basket, where he shoots 63% from the field.
Simmons is unconfident in his ability to score, he passes out of a wide-open layup to teammate Matisse Thybulle in Game seven, who is fouled on the shot.
Thybulle would go on to miss a crucial free throw, contributing to the Sixers' 103–96 loss in game 7.
Despite his obvious offensive struggles, Simmons was still elected to the 2021 All-Star game, proving that he is one of the best players in today’s NBA. However, after the series in Atlanta, where coach Nate McMillan exposed all of Simmons weakness, many fans would have you believe Simmons doesn’t even deserve a spot on the team.
One thing most casual fans don’t pick up on, however, is that Simmons impacts the game in many more ways than one, again through his incredible defense and playmaking abilities. While Atlanta’s star player Trae Young averaged 29 points per game, he shot a career-low 39% from the field, with Simmons getting 9 steals throughout the series. Simmons played well defensively against Young, even though many casual fans would have you believe Trae dominated offensively.
Another major thing about Ben Simmons that many people are overlooking, is his age. Simmons is only 24 years old and is a multiple-time all-star and Defensive Player of the year candidate, well before his prime hits at around 27 years old. Even though Simmons is not a talented scorer at this stage of his career, he can easily become one with the right plays being run and enough development. The fact that Simmons has already mastered the other non-scoring aspects of Basketball shows that he is more than capable of developing and becoming an elite scorer, with the right assistance.
In my opinion, if Sixers coach Doc Rivers and the training staff wish Ben Simmons would help produce more offensively, they must develop him and give him the right opportunities to do so. Anything as simple as a pick and roll with co-superstar Joel Embiid, and having Simmons be able to score in the mid-range would desperately help the Sixers and their spacing issues. Otherwise, the only way Simmons will be able to develop his scoring skill is on another team, one that is willing to take the time to develop a player, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, or the Detroit Pistons.
Either way, with enough time, Ben Simmons will become elite in all aspects of his game, and nitpicking fans will have not much to say against him.