Here’s how Ben Simmons can maximize his potential

Last season was a successful one for the Philidelphia 76ers. They won 51 games in the regular season and managed to push the title-winning Toronto Raptors to 7 games and had it not been for the biggest shot in Canadian basketball history, they would have battled the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Finals.

The young 76ers lead by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons looked set to take the next step and become a contender to reach the NBA Finals this past season. Now though, it looks like Philly would be very grateful if the season was canceled so they could focus on next year.

Their record of 39-26 through 65 games would translate into 49 wins if they played the full 82. The 76ers have actually got worse when they should have been getting better. This is the 3rd season in a row where they’ve won/are on course to win between 50-52 games. That’s a good win total, but for the talent they have, especially Embiid and Simmons, they should but getting towards 60 wins by now.

Something has to change this offseason, assuming this year’s campaign is canceled. For me, the best thing the Philidelphia front-office can do is look to maximize the potential of their star point guard; Ben Simmons.

Simmons has “Magic Johnson” written all over him. He’s a 6’10” point guard with great handles and amazing court-vision. He already has career averages of 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 56.1% from the floor. Those are terrific for someone just completing his 3rd NBA season.

Philly would best be served by maxing out the potential Simmons has, and here’s how they can do it.

Trade Joel Embiid

“Woah!” You’re thinking and I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Joel Embiid is one of the best big men in the NBA right now. He has career averages of 24.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks and is extremely skilled on the low-block.

So why trade him then?

Embiid’s style of offense is very slow. He’s a post player, which means whenever he gets the ball the game slows down. That does not play into the modern style of NBA basketball where teams play far more possessions than they did 30 years ago.

Embiid also struggles to stay healthy and score efficiently for a big man. Embiid has never played more than 64 games in a regular season. He missed 2 whole years before playing his 1st NBA game due to a foot injury and history tells us that big men with feet injuries rarely fully recover. Embiid also shoots a very low FG% for a tall, powerful 7-footer. He’s only managed to hit around 48% of his field-goals in his NBA career so far, he should be hitting 55%+. 

Embiid is coming into his prime at 26 years of age, so Philly would be able to get a huge amount in return for him. If the 76ers can get some real quality players from trading Embiid then that would allow the team to build the roster around Simmons. 

This brings me on to my next point; what players Philidelphia needs going forward.

3 and D

A 3 and D player is a very hot commodity in the modern NBA. Players that can spread the floor with good 3-point shooting and can also play tenacious defense are extremely valuable because they fit in any system, with any players. 

The 76ers should try their best to trade Embiid for some athletic 3 and D players because that will make the team absolutely devasting in transition, something Simmons is an expert in. Not many players can stop a full-speed Ben Simmons in the open court thanks to his size, speed, instincts and finishing ability.

Philly was only ranked 19th this past season in Pace Rating at 98.2. Increasing this will mean a lot more easy shots for the team and give Simmons the room needed to blossom into the leader that Magic Johnson was for the LA Lakers.

Simmons is not a good shooter and probably never will be. It is therefore imperative that Simmons has as much floor-space on offense as possible to make use of his size and driving ability.

Post Play

In deep Playoff series, the game often slows down towards the end of very close games as teams become more nervous and cautious. Being able to get quality shots in these times is vital if teams wish to be real title contenders. Simmons being a potent post threat can be an excellent option for the 76ers going forward in these situations.

Simmons is a match-up nightmare thanks to his size at the point guard position. He can back down any other PG in the league, he just needs to the finishing moves at the end. Look how good LeBron is in the post and how often he uses that in big games to get good shots. Simmons has the blueprint in front of him for him to be a great post player and should take full advantage.

Free-throws

Simmons is not a great free-throw shooter. He only hit 62.7% of his foul-shots this past season, and whilst he has improved his accuracy from 56% in his rookie season he needs to get it around the 80% range. He is going to be fouled a lot during the rest of his career and getting these easy points will be very important.

Working on his form and getting comfortable at the line is the best way to become a better shooter from the foul line. Routine and confidence will have Simmons shooting a much higher percentage, something he can easily achieve.

Defense

Simmons is already a great defender. He was leading the league in steals at 2.1 per game before the season shut down. His wingspan isn’t massive at 7 feet but he has great hands and instincts. He knows how to play passing lanes and how to read the ball-handler’s dribbling patterns.

Simmons should become a lockdown defensive force with the ability to guard all 5 positions. If he is to become the leader that Philly needs to him to be then leading from the front, especially on defense, is of the highest importance. Good defense requires great effort and players respond to what their leader does. Simmons needs to set a high level of expectation on defense and the best way of doing that is by playing great himself.

What do you think about Ben Simmons? Think can become an all-time great? Let me know in the comments.