Which Ben Simmons Will Show Up in the Playoffs?
It has been a season of opposing stories for the Sixers All-Star
WHEN JOEL EMBIID went down with a dislocated finger against the Oklahoma City Thunder, an injury so gruesome that Ben Simmons reportedly claimed he “almost threw up” after seeing, the Sixers’ season was in the balance. They were coming off of four straight losses, with turmoil at an all-time high within their locker room.
Later, when news broke that Embiid required surgery to fix his ailing left hand, the impetus was placed on the Sixers to survive in a surprisingly competitive Eastern Conference without their superstar center.
The injury was somewhat clarifying for the Sixers, who saw players like Al Horford and Tobias Harris return to their natural positions, at center and power forward, respectively. But the biggest change for the Sixers was the play of Simmons, who suddenly awakened from his figurative slumber to take charge of the team.
For months, while the Sixers adjusted to having perhaps the worst floor spacing of any team in the league with their new-look starting lineup, Simmons became content to passively run the offense, seeing his scoring average plummet from nearly 17 points per game in the year before around 13.5 points per game. While he was still valuable defensively and as a playmaker, it was clear that he needed a change in mentality.
That change came when Embiid was injured.
Simmons’ mid-season renaissance was not a coincidence; in his rookie season, when Embiid suffered an orbital fracture, Simmons and the Sixers went on a prolonged winning streak with Simmons putting up tremendous numbers offensively.
This season, with a spaced floor to attack with Embiid out, Simmons suddenly had driving lanes that simply were not there for months on end. Since Embiid’s injury, Simmons averaged 21.12 points while continuing his dominance as a defender and playmaker, giving hope to Sixers fans that he can be a championship-level second option.
When the Sixers let Jimmy Butler go, they knew it would require a team effort to replace his fourth-quarter scoring. Embiid has shouldered much of that responsibility, becoming a terrific fourth-quarter scorer this season, and Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson have each had moments of brilliance in the clutch this season.
Simmons, for as well as he has played individually after a slow start, however, simply has not developed any reliability as a fourth-quarter scoring option. The dark memories of his playoff struggles against the Celtics and Raptors continue to remind all of what Simmons needs to develop — more so than a jump-shot, he needs to find a way to be an effective fourth quarter option. At times, Simmons appears to be turning a corner; just as often, he reminds fans of recent playoff runs where he virtually refused to shoot more than five times a game.
So, the question remains, with the totality of Simmons’ season in mind — his early-season passivity and mid-season resurgence — which Ben Simmons will show up when it matters most?
Player Profile: Ben Simmons
At 6'10" and 230 pounds, with quick feet, long arms, and explosive leaping ability, Simmons has the sort of awe-inspiring, crowd-pleasing athleticism that defines many of the NBA’s top players. For such an untraditional player, he grades out exceptionally in every physical and athletic aspect of basketball.
Simmons is also terrific defensively, having recorded a net-positive in defensive win shares for three seasons running, while also having an exceptional defensive box plus/minus. His quick hands, long arms, and lateral quickness help him bother all types of players. It is rare to see a player who can guard positions 1–5, yet Simmons is probably we’ve seen at doing so since LeBron James’ days in Miami.
Also, for as much as his mindset has been dissected and analyzed by fans and analysts alike, it is undeniable that Simmons gives near-maximum effort all the time on defense, despite rarely getting rest.
And Simmons is still young, as he is only 23, with time to grow physically and developmentally. He rarely misses games, and he plays an extreme amount of minutes in important games, yet he has never shown signs of fatigue or a lack of effort.
Offensively, Simmons is one of the best transition players in the league. It is in transition where he suddenly looks like a superstar, either driving his way for layups and dunks or setting up his teammates for easy baskets.
In the half-court, Simmons’ value takes a hit, as he scores much less frequently, usually on an array of awkward post moves and drives buoyed by his nearly unparalleled athleticism. His offensive weaknesses, primarily his lack of a jump-shot and go-to scoring moves, hinder his overall offensive impact. His main value in the half-court, in actuality, is probably on his kick-out passes to three-point shooters, of which he has been near the top of the league in for three seasons running.
This has been Simmons’ reality for three seasons now, with little changes made to his game as a whole. Simmons is an undeniable talented player, with very real flaws.
The 2019–2020 Season
16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.3 assists on 58.4 FG% and 62.8 FT%
Overall, this season has been far and away the best of Simmons’ career, despite the Sixers being the most disappointing team overall. Simmons has made up for his slow start, taking steps in his development that simply were not made between his rookie and sophomore campaigns.
As his production has increased, the chatter around his three-point shot has dissipated. And rightfully so, as Simmons has eliminates the need for a jump-shot by simply being aggressive for 48 minutes.
For as different as the Sixers look this season, there are still some common traits between last years failed star-studded experiment and this year’s super-sized edition of the 76ers. Simmons still works well in handoff situations, something that worked well when he shared the court with Embiid and a three-point shooter. Last year, he ran handoffs with J.J. Redick, who has been somewhat replaced by the younger, less effective Furkan Korkmaz. This season, however, Simmons was phased out of the dunker’s spot.
Due to the arrival of Horford to go along with Embiid, there simply isn’t room for Simmons to park himself near the basket, which somewhat explains Simmons’ slow start to the season in terms of scoring.
Now, let’s take a look at the positives and negatives of Simmons’ season, a season in which he went from playing like a fringe All-Star to a strong contender as an All-Star starter.
The New Developments
One way Coach Brett Brown and his staff have increased Simmons’ effectiveness on the court is by having him become a screener. With Simmons as the screener, he is the only non-shooter on the floor, but that weakness becomes negligible when he is rolling towards the rim. The screen-and-roll action springs him free for easy layups or kick-out passes, both of which he specializes in.
In the fourth quarter, the team has often turned to have Simmons screen for Josh Richardson. This action keeps Simmons engaged offensively, and it allows him to coexist with Al Horford and Joel Embiid. With the addition of Alec Burks, the Sixers now have two pick-and-roll ball handlers to pair with Simmons, a necessity come playoff time.
Another development made in Simmons’ game has been an improvement in finishing. Over the past two seasons, despite being one of the NBA’s best finishers by volume, there would be many examples of Simmons avoiding contact to take awkward, floating layups that were much less effective than when he initiated contact. Also, this season, while his free throw percentage for the season remains atrocious, Simmons’ comfort level at the line has improved.
Since the aforementioned game against the OKC Thunder, Simmons is shooting nearly 70% from the free-throw line, with games under 50% from the line becoming an aberration, not the norm. His improved free-throw shooting has coincided with his improved finishing. Now, Simmons is initiating contact more than ever, often taking an extra step to force contact with his defender all while gaining easier looks right at the basket.
Defensively, Simmons has taken his game to another level, once again. He is the NBA leader in steals, mixing his great athleticism with opportunistic, quick reaches for the ball to both be a great on-ball defender and off-ball disruptor. He can’t be bullied in the post or blown by on the perimeter, and he is making a case to be on an All-Defense team by the season’s end.
Also, his engagement and activity on that end has been fantastic, something that was lacking at times on an overall lackadaisical Sixers squad last year. And his engagement and overall energy can’t be under-appreciated, especially since Simmons is playing a near league-high 36.3 minutes per game, while only missing two games for a shoulder impingement suffered early in the season.
The Room For Improvement
Despite Simmons’ massive growth as an overall offensive weapon, he is still too content to let other players shoulder the load in close games and/or against the top teams in the league. The primary reason goes back to Simmons inherent weakness as a player; with no jump-shot, he has little hope of scoring against set defenses when the game slows down.
Especially against teams like Milwaukee, Boston, and Miami, Simmons can’t afford to have passive, non-aggressive games with less than ten field goal attempts. Philly’s offense will simply suffer in that circumstance, and their offense is the primary factor holding them back from joining the NBA’s elite.
He also commits many turnovers; some are to be expected as a byproduct of his downhill style, but the passive, careless turnovers he commits are simply unacceptable come playoff time. The same can be said with his tendency to foul. When he is guarding the best players, a few fouls are natural, but when he is guarding less potent offensive threats, he can’t afford to bail out teams by fouling.
Another issue with Simmons in the half-court is his tendency to give the ball up too early. Often, he runs a drop-off pass to a trailing Embiid at the beginning of possessions, which empowers Embiid to shoot early, mildly contested threes — which are a win for the defense and not the type of three-pointer the Sixers need from Embiid.
The same scenario occurs with Al Horford, who needs Simmons to drive further into the lane to open up better looks from downtown; Horford is struggling, and he needs his All-Star point guard to help him. In the limited times, the Sixers have tried the Horford-Simmons pick and pop for three-pointers, defenses have been able to contain it due to Simmons’ refusal to put pressure on his defender.
Overall, though Simmons has many glaring weaknesses, the Sixers should be optimistic heading into the stretch run of the NBA season.
The Playoffs and Beyond
In the Sixers’ last game before the All-Star Break, a seven-point win over the L.A. Clippers, Simmons showed why he and the Sixers have championship potential. With 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, Simmons was a force throughout the game, while also making Kawhi Leonard work on the offensive end throughout his near-43 minutes of game time.
But more importantly, he and Embiid always looked comfortable on the court. Simmons set up Embiid for post-ups and open looks from three after drawing in the defense (the right type of three-pointer for Embiid), and Embiid fed Simmons when he had mismatches down low.
Coinciding with this newfound comfort in the Embiid-Simmons dynamic was the benching of Al Horford. Whether Brett Brown will continue to bring Horford, who is on a near $25 million annual salary, off the bench remains to be seen. But, the results are clear when spacing the floor around Simmons and Embiid, as it allows Simmons to be aggressive as a driver while also spacing the floor for Embiid’s post-ups.
The new lineup Brown introduced — Simmons, Richardson, Furkan Korkmaz/Glenn Robinson III, Tobias Harris, and Embiid — will likely be a playoff staple. But there remains so much unknown in the future for Simmons.
Will Simmons’ free-throw shooting continue to improve? If Simmons is shooting poorly from the line, will he continue to look to score? Who is the #2 option on offense for the Sixers, and who will take the last shot if the Sixers find themselves in another Game 7?
After this season, Simmons will have more time to work on his jump-shot, though it is unlikely he will ever shoot jumpers with any semblance of volume. What may be more worthwhile would be Simmons refining his post-moves, especially if he can refrain from fading, sweeping hook-shots and replaces them with more aggressive, efficient scoring moves.
These playoffs are a litmus test for Simmons’ superstardom. The Sixers seemingly chose Simmons over Jimmy Butler, rewarding Simmons with a contract extension. Now, it is on Simmons to cash in on his $170 million investment.
All stats via Basketball Reference
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