Every coach Ben Simmons has played for eventually has to comment on Simmons’ discomfort with shooting the basketball. Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash is no exception, but he’s saying all the right things about his mercurial new point guard.
Ben Simmons has played 275 games in his NBA career, and in that time he’s taken 34 three-pointers. For his career, over half of his shot attempts have come within three feet of the basket, and 87% have come from ten feet or closer. In his career, Simmons’ average shot distance is 4.4 feet. For comparison, Shaquille O’Neal’s average shot distance was only slightly closer at 4 feet.
That’s not to say Simmons is a bad offensive player. He averages 7.7 assists per game and his advanced offensive numbers are consistently above-average. But it isn’t always an easy fit, particularly when he played alongside a dominant post player like Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. Teammates like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, not to mention Patty Mills and Seth Curry, should provide more spacing for Simmons down low.
But having a player who seems fundamentally opposed to shooting seems to eventually drive coaches crazy. In December of 2019, Sixers coach Brett Brown said he wanted “One three-point shot per game, minimum” from Simmons. Simmons responded by taking two three-point shots, total, in the next three months. Later, in the bubble, Brown announced that Simmons had a “paradigm shift” when it came to shooting threes. Simmons went on to attempt a single three-pointer in three bubble games, before season-ending knee surgery.
Doc Rivers initially said he “could care less” about Simmons shooting jumpers, and continued to defend his star well into the playoffs in 2021.
But when Rivers criticized Simmons — rather lightly — after the Sixers lost to the Hawks in the second round, saying he “didn’t know” if Simmons could be a point guard on a championship team, Simmons demanded an apology and a trade.
What’s the lesson for Nash? Ben Simmons can help the Nets in many ways, but shooting the ball will not be one of them. Maybe Simmons should shoot more, but at this point in his career, he’s not going to do it. If Nash truly doesn’t care if Simmons ever takes a jump shot, then he will be far less frustrated when Simmons never does.
