On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers re-signed Ben Simmons to a five-year max deal worth $170 million.
Simmons has proven to be a promising young player in many different categories. He is tied for the third-most triple-doubles in the last two years. He has great court vision and his height and ability to handle the ball have reminded many people of Magic Johnson.
Why is it a mistake? Any casual NBA fan who knows about Simmons knows what is coming: he can’t shoot the basketball. The Warriors and the “Splash Brothers” reshaped the landscape of the modern NBA. There’s a reason their dynasty is just now coming to an end (perhaps). The DNA of Golden State is shooting, and as a result, that’s what teams look for nowadays.
The NBA asks all positions from point guard to center to be able to shoot the basketball and Ben Simmons just can’t shoot it. Just looking at the NBA Finals over the last decade, you would have to go back to the 2010 Finals to find a point guard who was as poor of a shooter as Simmons and that was Rajon Rondo. The difference? Rondo had pieces around him, while Philly is counting on Simmons to be the guy.
Yes, they have Joel Embiid, but the last time a center won the championship as the primary scoring option was 2007? Even then, Tony Parker averaged more points per game than Tim Duncan did.
Listen, Simmons isn’t just bad at shooting the basketball, he’s abysmal. According to NBA.com, Ben Simmons shot 18-71 this year from 10-14 feet from the basket, which was good for 25 percent from that distance.
In comparison, Giannis Antetokoumpo, who is not considered a very good shooter, shot 41 percent from the same distance. In fact, if you take all of Simmons’s shots from 10 feet and out, he made 20 of the 99 he took, good for a putrid 20 percent field goal percentage.
Ask any Sixers fans, and they will come back with an obvious fact: “He can improve.” While reports that he is working on his shot are encouraging, isn’t it at all alarming it took him three years to even work on it intensely?
In college, Simmons attempted just three three-pointers. That trend has continued in the NBA, where Simmons refuses to shoot and defense can afford to collapse and only defend the paint on him. This also clogs the lane for Embiid and other Philly big men like the newly-acquired Al Horford. Sure, Simmons might have been working on his shot the entire time. But if that’s true, then isn’t it concerning he hasn’t gotten better?
There are many more questions than answers when it comes to Ben Simmons. Triple doubles are great, but ask Russell Westbrook about how much they actually mean.
