76ers fans witnessed Ben Simmons sink his second career 3-point shot in the ‘6ers 141-94 washing of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is absolutely a positive sign for the team. But the reactions of Philly fans and some of the NBA media requires BUSDA recognition.
Simmons Shooting Stage Fright
I’m not going to lie to you. Back in the summer when all the videos surfaced of Simmons working on his jump shot I was pretty excited. Simmons was already one of my favourite players to watch. The man’s movement is poetry in motion.
But I was constantly aggravated by the fact that he wasn’t taking jump shots. With everything he does being so effortless and fluid, I simply couldn’t understand why he wasn’t shooting. There was no reason to think that mechanics should be a big issue. And how would you even begin to guard a guy like that if he was a threat from three? His handles are deadly. He’s always going to beat you off the first step. And even if you manage to stop him with the ball in his hands, he’s one of the best passers in the league. Plus, he’s 6′ freaking 10!
So, I went digging. And as it turns out, according to Simmons’ high school coach, someone messed with his mechanics the summer between high school and college. Simmons had a serviceable jump shot in high school. It needed some work and wasn’t NBA level consistent, but it existed and he was in high school. It was a thing. You can see it in the video below.
Yes, it’s a lot of dunks, ball-handling and wicked passes too. But keep an eye out for the jumper. It’s smooth easy and accurate.
Learning this along with the videos I watched of Simmons taking and draining jumpers made me excited. Even difficult, stepbacks and turnaround jumpers were falling in his summer workouts. Then he hit one in the preseason. But then the regular season started and no threes were taken in game one. Then through games five and 10.
By the time Simmons actually made this first career NBA three in game 14… let’s just say I wasn’t impressed.
And I understood the reaction to Simmons finally draining that first one. It had been a long time coming. On the other hand…
Simmons is a Point Guard
A couple of days later the ‘6ers played the Spurs. During the pregame show, a lot was made of the fact that Simmons had made his first three and I was very confused indeed. To be talking about it two days later as a central part of the pregame show was more than a bit much for me. Philly lost that game, by the way.
Too Much Hype for Two Made Threes
Last night, Simmons drained his second three and the level of hype is simply too high for the BUSDAs to overlook. I mean, look at this. Tears really? Tears because your starting point guard got his second career three after playing for three seasons in 181 games, all of which he started. Come on now!
And how about the live reaction? Does this play call sound to you like it’s “no big deal anymore”?
The reaction reminds me of when Jonas Valanciunas added a three to his game when he played for the Raptors. Every time he pulled up at home it got LOUD. But let’s put this into perspective, shall we?
JV is a 7-foot center. He played his first five seasons without shooting a single three. In the 2017-18 season, when he added the range shot, he averaged one a game on the season. JV’s career three-point shooting percentage is 35.
Know what else JV has done that Simmons hasn’t? Hit more than one three in a single game. JV was so consistent from beyond the arc that in Toronto a catchphrase was developed by Raptors colour commentator Matt Devlin.
And just for fun, here is a list of other current NBA centers with a better three-point shooting percentage than Ben Simmons .95.
- Marc Gasol – 35%
- Meyers Leonard – 54%
- Mo Bamba – 33%
- Serge Ibaka – 36%
- Joel Embiid – 31% (This is my favourite one on this list.)
- Brook Lopez – 34%
Just sayin’.
6ers Fans Should Expect Threes of Their Starting Point Guard
Okay, 6ers fans. I know you’re excited. But it’s time for a dose of reality. Ben Simmons hitting three-point shots should not be a reason to get all teared up or jump out of your seat excited. I think Matt Tomaszewsky hit the nail on the head.
Simmons is a starting freaking point guard on a Conference Finals team. Threes should be all the dang time. All-day long. Money in the bank. And if you think Philly has any chance of making another EFC this year, you better hope it is. Because there is absolutely no good reason that Simmons should be the guy playing in the paint and Joel Embiid should be taking perimeter shots. That’s just insanity.
This kind of over-hyping and over-celebrating a shot that a point guard should be taking and making all the time is more than worthy of a BUSDA.
Have you seen something worthy of a Belly Up Sports Dunce Award? Share it with us @BellyUpSports or @auxiiarythings or use #BUSDA. Maybe we’ll feature your nominee.
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