2. Ben Simmons needs to be more aggressive
This was the critique for Simmons coming out of LSU, and will remain one of his bigger critiques until he addresses the issue. He’s at his best when creating for others — and that’s understandably something he likes to lean on — but that can’t be the only threat he poses offensively.
Even with no jumper and questionable touch around the rim, Simmons has plenty of opportunities as a scorer. His physical tools allow him to either overpower or outmaneuver most players tasked with defending him, which allows him to get to the rim with relative ease. He doesn’t take advantage of that enough, though, deferring looks in the paint and making the extra pass in situations where a simple layup or hook shot would be more productive.
There’s a point at which unselfishness becomes too much, and Simmons tends to straddle that line way too often. He needs to get himself into attack mode a little more often, which helps keep defenders honest while opening up more passing lanes for when he does decide to dish it elsewhere.
It’s hard to run an offense to it’s fullest capacity when the primary ball handler refuses to search out his own looks, and Simmons is capable of putting his head down and getting the rim in a way most players can’t match. He has an easy ticket to baskets that he doesn’t take advantage of, and that’s one of the more frustrating aspects of an otherwise-brilliant skill set for the 21-year-old.