The NBA Player Who Forgot How To Shoot: The Ben Simmons Conundrum

Ben Simmons may have the NBA equivalent of  “the yips.” 

For those unfamiliar with the term, “the yips” usually applies to baseball players struggling mentally with a simple aspect of the game, such as throwing the ball to first base or a pitcher throwing a strike. 

“The yips” are unusual for a basketball player, but there’s no other explanation for what Simmons is going through at the moment. 

The Philadelphia 76ers guard can’t — or won’t — shoot the basketball. 

Coming out of LSU, Simmons’ shooting was an area of concern for NBA scouts. He struggled in college with his jumper, but the thought was that he would put in the work at the professional level and eventually improve enough to be an average shooter. Not only has that not happened, Simmons has actually regressed. 

Simmons was never expected to be a three-point shooter in the NBA, but as the league has moved towards a more spread out offensive game, Simmons inability to shoot has become a glaring issue. He’s attempted just 34 three-pointers in his NBA career, allowing teams to pack the paint against his Sixers team, although Simmons has always found a way to stay involved offensively even without a three-point game. He’s been aggressive in getting into the lane, crashing the offensive boards and getting his teammates buckets with excellent passing. 

Until the 2021 NBA playoffs. 

As the Sixers second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks progressed, Simmons became less and less involved in the offense, often quickly giving the ball up to Center Joel Embiid and taking himself out of the offensive set. After averaging a career-low 14.3 points per game in the regular season, Simmons averaged just 10.7 points per game against Atlanta. Much of this can be attributed to his horrendous free-throw shooting during the playoffs. 

Simmons — a 60% free-throw shooter during the regular season — dipped to an historically low 34.2% in the postseason. His struggles at the line made him hesitant to even have the ball in his hands, which is somewhat of a problem for the point guard of a team. 

During the seven-game series against Atlanta, Simmons attempted just three total shots in the fourth quarter, and didn’t have a single fourth-quarter attempt in the last four games of the series. 

Ben Simmons attempted 3 total shots in the 4th quarter in the entire 7-game series vs. the Hawks. pic.twitter.com/5AWJ0acJRZ

— Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 21, 2021

“We’re not hiding that Ben has to become a better free throw shooter and a more confident free throw shooter,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “If that happens, I really believe a lot of other parts of his game follows. I said that, if you remember, before the season started. First thing I said was, ‘We got to get him to the line 10 times a night.’ And to want to get to the line 10 times a night. So we’ve got to put in work so he can get there. But if we can get him there, man, his game goes to a different level.”

All of Simmons’ struggles — physical and mental — came to a head in game seven. 

With the Sixers down two with under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Simmons passed up a wide-open dunk attempt to inexplicably pass the ball to Matisse Thybulle, who was fouled on the attempt. 

This pass by Simmons (rather than uncontested dunk) is a 30-for-30. https://t.co/63J9n6TWpB

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) June 21, 2021

The pass was emblematic of Simmons mental state and — according to Embiid — the turning point in the game. 

“I’ll be honest: I thought the turning point was when we had an open shot, and we made one free throw and we missed the other, and they came down and scored,” Embiid said after the game. 

Rivers was just as harsh, saying he didn’t know if Simmons could be a point guard on a championship team.

Both responses were illuminating, and bring into question Simmons’ future in a Sixers uniform. 

The Philadelphia team as currently constructed certainly seems to have plateaued, as has the pairing of Simmons and Embiid. 

But is it time to give up on Simmons? 

The fourth-year guard has massive upside. He’s one of the game’s best open-court players and defenders — Simmons was a unanimous first-team All-Defense selection. He’s a wonderful passer, who when involved offensively, makes his teammates better, but as his regression has become more noticeable, his upside may be better suited on a team built specifically for him. 

The issue is that Simmons’ stock has never been lower after an abysmal postseason. The Sixers had a chance to sell high on Simmons when they were involved in the James Harden sweepstakes, but were reportedly unable to come up with a package suitable for the Houston Rockets. If the front office does decide to move on from Simmons this offseason, it’s hard to fathom they’ll be getting fair compensation in return. 

What Philadelphia intends to do is unclear, but one thing is certain — a lot of Simmons’ struggles are mental, and the Sixers aren’t sure it’s fixable.

Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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