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Great analysis bringing out the difference between potential and performance! Really good stuff!!
Ben Simmons is one of the most polarizing players in the NBA and certainly gets a lot more hate than he should about his lack of jump shot or 3PT shot.
Ben Simmons moves like a guard with the size of a big man which makes it impossible for teams to matchup hunt against him. He is also a DPOY candidate with incredible versatility and rarely makes avoidable errors on the defensive end. In transition he is like a guard but turns into a big man in the half court. He is an elite passer finding teammates in the paint and in the perimeter.
Unfortunately, this is where the positives end. Ben Simmons has no outside shooting or face-up scoring game which results in him clogging the paint preventing Joel Embiid from living in the paint where he thrives. He is a bad FT shooter resulting in team employing a Hack-a-Simmons to prevent his effectiveness. In my opinion his biggest problem is his confidence. He has consistently reduced his FGA every season since he started playing in the NBA, he has attempted lesser shots in the playoffs compared to the regular season in the past 3 season. His FT% has consistently decreased per playoff series to an abysmal 33.3% on 45 attempts in the Atlanta series.
His effectiveness is almost non-existent in the 4th quarter of games especially in the playoffs. This was highlighted in Game 7 of the Atlanta series when Ben Simmons refused to dunk the ball in front of Trae Young by passing it to Matisse Thybulle instead. This marked the end of βThe Processβ as after this moment Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid turned on him publicly which was the start of Benβs refusal to play for the 76ers.
Ben Simmons is a unique player with exceptional but limited talents and his fit alongside Joel Embiid will probably never result in a championship since his lack of jump shot and scoring confidence will result in Embiid operating in areas of the court where his own effectiveness is reduced.
Picture Courtesy: Sky Sports