Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons is a mid-range J from being unstoppable

A mid-range J could unlock the Philadelphia 76ers’ pick-and-roll.

Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, Ben Simmons knocking down 3 point shots at a 40 percent clip. While some have committed their lives to search for these elusive aberrations and #stillbelieve regardless of the demonstrable evidence at hand, the general public – and fans of the Philadelphia 76ers – have effectively written these mythical creatures off as nothing more than fantasy.

Okay, technically I’m being a tad hyperbolic. There in fact is a Jersey Devil and he runs a pretty fun Twitter account that I would certainly suggest following even if you’re a diehard fan of the Philadelphia Flyers.

And as for Simmons shot? Yeah… not so much.

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Since making his NBA debut in October of 2017, Simmons’ outside shot has been a constant critique by his haters and detractors alike – oftentimes pointed to as the prime reason why he’ll never be a truly elite player or why he should be shipped out of town to the Houston Rockets alongside picks and players for James Harden.

Theoretically, the idea isn’t wrong. Simmons is one of the biggest, fastest, and most athletic players in the NBA. If he can stand at the top of the key, hold strong versus a sagging defender, and knockdown an open 3 at an above-average clip, the Sixers’ offense would be quite literally unstoppable.

*spoiler alert* that probably isn’t going to happen.

While players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James have been able to become better outside shooters as their careers have progressed – owning a 28.4 and 34.4 career shooting percentage from beyond the arc respectably – you’ll very rarely see any payer transform from a non-shooter into an elite one, especially when they’re shooting with the wrong hand (I’m sorry, it was just too easy).

With that out of the way, I personally don’t think Simmons’ 3 point shot is all that relevant to the Sixers’ success moving forward.

Sure, being able to knock down that aforementioned outside shot against a sagged off defender would be clutch, but it’s not all that vital. I mean think about it, how often is Simmons going to be perched on the wings waiting for a wide-open 3? That’s what players like Danny Green, Seth Curry, and Tobias Harris are for, not your starting point guard.

No, to paraphrase Doc Rivers during his media availability, a ton of the Sixers’ 2020-21 success will rely on how effectively Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can run a 1-5 pick and roll.

Yup, you read that correctly.

Now before you go all ‘comments section’ on me for even suggesting running Simmons, a non-shooter, as the roll man in a PNR, hear me out. Yes, it’s way easier to guard said pick-and-roll if the primary ball handler can’t knock down 3 point shots, but it’s not essential to making the play work. No, all a guard really needs to do to be able to run a successful pick-and-roll is knock down a mid-range J if the defense crowds the paint – an aspect of his game that Simmons is just starting to unlock.

In 2019-20, Simmons took 647 total shots from the field – 460 from within the restricted area and 187 from outside the restricted area. Of said non-restricted area shots, Simmons went 56-164 from shots in the paint (non-RA), 4-16 from shots in the mid-range, and 2-7 from 3 point range.

Are those numbers good? Heavens no, but that has a lot more to do with the Sixers’ brutal offense in 2019-20 than it does a block in Simmons’ game. In 2018-19, Simmons hit 101 shots from outside the restricted area and 14-67 attempts from the mid-range, signaling Brett Brown‘s inability to put Simmons in a position to succeed without a player like Jimmy Butler to run the show in fourth quarters.

If Simmons can expand out his range 10-ish more feet, suddenly a whole world of possibilities opens up for the Sixers offensively – elevating their ceiling considerably. If he can stop up on a dime and pull up for a mid-range J, defenses will have to play Simmons a whole lot tighter. If that’s the case, and opposing defenders start to diverge on Simmons when he pops up into the air, well, that means a wing shooter is open and the Eagle-eyed Birds fan can simply flip it out for an easy 3. Similarly, if Simmons can establish himself as a solid mid-range shooter, it’ll open up the paint just a bit more for Embiid to operate with his back – or front – to the basket – a look, again, Brett Brown went away from far too often.

If Rivers really does intend to use Simmons as his offense’s primary facilitator, he’ll at least need to be mildly formidable as an offensive option. While 16.9 points per game is nothing to sneeze at, Simmons really needs to get into the 20 ppg range to really elevate the Sixers game to new heights. Adding a mid-range shot to his game is an easy way to get that done.

For better or worse, Ben Simmons is never going to be an elite scorer. If you want that, I hear James Harden is available and could be had for multiple young players and about a dozen first-round picks. Simmons isn’t for everyone; he isn’t a plug-‘n-play player that can immediately assimilate into an offense and effortlessly wade into the flow of a game. To truly get the most out of his skills, a team needs to craft an offense around Simmons’ unique set of skills and put the still-only-24-year-old in the best position to succeed. If Simmons can just extend his range out a few more feet – let’s call it 10 – a whole new world of possibilities could open up for the Philadelphia 76ers and give the team a deadly look tailormade for their new starting five.

And as for Simmons’ elusive 40 percent 3 point shot? Yeah… you’d have better luck getting your ‘quatching gear on and head out into the Pine Barrons than waiting to see the NBA’ Abominable Snowman.