As a basketball player, Ben Simmons is certainly an interesting case. While the Philadelphia 76ers point guard has shown flashes of brilliance in his NBA career, he’s also received quite a bit of criticism for not taking advantage.
Ben Simmons is a professional basketball player who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. He was drafted first overall in 2014 and is considered by many to be one of the best players in the NBA. However, he received some bad advice from Steve Nash who said that “the game has passed him by.” Read more in detail here: where is ben simmons from.
No one knew when (or if) Ben Simmons would play this season only a few weeks ago. The All-Star guard has gotten a much-needed change of scenery courtesy to Nash, Steve and the Brooklyn Nets.
Simmons, 25, seems to be on the verge of making his season debut. There’s a possibility he’ll make his comeback against the Philadelphia 76ers, the team Simmons abandoned, and vice versa.
Following Simmons’ absence from last year’s playoffs, his relationship with the Sixers deteriorated significantly. While the 6-foot-11 point guard is capable of doing a wide range of tasks, his inability to shoot hampered Philadelphia in their second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Despite the fact that Simmons is in a new setting, his old difficulties may follow him. Especially after some of the suggestions Nash, his new head coach, has given him.
Ben Simmons, according to Nash, Steve, will not be required to shoot the ball.
Ben Simmons, according to Nash, Steve: “Ben can do a thousand things on the basketball floor, but shooting isn’t one of them. He’s a fantastic basketball player, even when he’s not hitting the ball.”
— Kristian Winfield #NFTAllStar (@Krisplashed) February 12, 2022
You pay attention when a two-time MVP and Hall of Famer speaks. In 99 percent of the cases when Nash gives counsel, this should be the case. Simmons, who has a comparable passing talent to Nash but has more physical abilities, should be particularly alert.
However, Brooklyn’s second-year coach has given Simmons permission to return to action… without shooting the hoop (h/t: NBC Sports Philadelphia).
“On the basketball floor, Ben performs a thousand things. Shooting isn’t something I’m looking forward to seeing. He’s a fantastic basketball player, even when he’s not shooting the ball. So there isn’t really a dialogue there, in my opinion. It’ll be fantastic if he improves his shooting skills. But he’s an All-Star basketball player who, among other things, has the ability to have a huge impact on games. To tell you the truth, it’s not a major worry of mine.”
Nash, Steve
Simmons, the first overall choice in the 2016 draft, has a career average of 15.9 points on 56.0 percent shooting. However, he has scored between 76.0 and 80.4 percent of his points in the paint every year. Joel Embiid, a 7-footer, has never had a season in which he scored more than 47.5 percent of his points in the paint.
Nash’s suggestion to Simmons isn’t very helpful.
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To Nash’s credit, he really cares. Brooklyn’s coach must do everything possible to boost Simmons’ confidence and enable him to play to his full potential. This is particularly crucial considering Simmons’ emotional anguish in Philadelphia over the previous three months.
Nash’s counsel to not worry about shooting, on the other hand, will come back to bother him and his new superstar.
The 76ers raced to the Eastern Conference’s top seed last season. The regular season and the playoffs, on the other hand, are two completely different beasts. The first may be used to hide a variety of flaws. The second is just not possible.
When the Sixers faced the Hawks, the pace of the game slowed. They evolved into half-court clashes that often came down to who could hit a huge shot in crunch time. Philly was essentially playing 4-on-5 in such circumstances.
Atlanta didn’t have to worry about Simmons, who would often stand in the corner and play a little part in the offense. The Hawks understood they didn’t have to concentrate on him outside of a few feet from the hoop, so they could focus on Embiid and Tobias Harris. Simmons only tried three shots throughout the duration of the series’ seven fourth quarters, and it paid off.
When Simmons finally got the ball, his opponents executed the Hack-a-Ben approach flawlessly. He not only refused to make open jumpers, but he also shot just 33.3 percent on 45 free-throw tries.
Simmons continued to do what Nash said, and he did it brilliantly. However, his shooting (or lack thereof) eventually doomed a Sixers team that finished first in the conference.
Even with a healthy roster, the Brooklyn Nets will struggle if Ben Simmons is unable to contribute offensively.
Ben Simmons has missed more free-throws in these last two rounds than Nash, Steve did in his entire playoff career.
That’s incredible.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) June 20, 2021
The Nets have yet to put together their whole roster. Kevin Durant’s recovery from a damaged MCL is nearing completion. At least for the time being, Kyrie Irving is only playing on the road. And Joe Harris, the team’s greatest three-point shooter, isn’t sure when he’ll be back.
Even if all of those guys are healthy and ready for the playoffs, it won’t matter if Simmons repeats his failure from last season.
No matter how good a passer, rebounder, or defender someone is, they must also show that they are willing to take an open shot when given the opportunity. The lumbering centers who get little to no minutes during crunch time are the only guys in today’s NBA who you don’t have to worry about them taking open shots.
Unless Nash intends to play Simmons for fewer than 10 minutes a game and bench him in the fourth quarter, something will have to give.
From now until the playoffs, Simmons should do all he can to establish himself as a legitimate scoring option outside the paint. That isn’t an invitation for him to take on the role of Stephen Curry. In half-court attacks, all he has to do is give defenders a reason to keep a guy on him.
Durant will be better off after that. Irving will be better off as a result of this. In addition, the Nets will always have five guys on the floor who can make opponents pay if given the chance.
Simmons can actually boost the Nets into championship contention with a little bit of preparation. He’s all but guaranteed that Brooklyn’s playoff participation would be short if he doesn’t make any adjustments.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
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