Ben Simmons, the equally adept star forward/guard for the Philadelphia 76ers is known for his struggles when it comes to having a consistent jump shot. Having never hit a three in an NBA game is a statistic commonly associated with Simmons, with the Australian often shying away from shooting them even when left wide-open. Jon Johnson of Philadelphia based KYW has reported Simmons’ statements from Sixers Media Day that signal a new confidence to attempt to take threes. Simmons’ teammate Tobias Harris also commented on Simmons’ decision to put more effort into shooting threes.
“If it’s open, I’ll take it.”
“20 pounds.”
"I think the guys know what is in front of us, the opportunity in front of us."
"You can feel that sense of urgency, and hunger".So much to breakdown from @Sixers media day. All the details on @KYWNewsradio. pic.twitter.com/RjVC2M9vHj
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) September 30, 2019
"I think I was just too worried about what other people were saying." "I don't really care anymoe." – Ben Simmons on what has changed with mentality.
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) September 30, 2019
"He's a gym rat. He was in the gym all summer." "He's been working on his jumper."- Harris on Ben Simmons.
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) September 30, 2019
Ben Simmons recently signed a five-year, $170M max extension, a move that received some criticism due to Simmons’ perceived weaknesses within half-court offensive sets. With Simmons, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and the newly added Al Horford at the helm, the Sixers will look to improve on their performance in last postseason, as they were ousted by the Toronto Raptors in the second round.
