The Sixer Sense
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Ben Simmons needs to improve his finishing, aggressiveness

By Christopher Kline

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 25: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at the Wells Fargo Center on October 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 25: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at the Wells Fargo Center on October 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons has showed out in his first five games. That doesn’t mean he can’t improve.

Through five games, Ben Simmons has already tallied his first career triple-double while averaging 16.4 points, 10 rebounds and 7.4 assists per contest. He’s the clear frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, and has generated a legitimate debate over whether or not he — not Joel Embiid — is the Philadelphia 76ers‘ best prospect.

In the midst of an impressive start, though, some of the imperfections that plagued him at LSU are still present. He’s a complete non-shooter beyond the free throw line, while his finishing and aggressiveness tend to waver from time to time. It’s those latter issues that are hurting him the most right now.

With that said, hurt is a relative term here. Simmons is putting up near-All-Star level numbers five games into his first season, and growing pains are expected with a young Sixers team that’s still putting the pieces together when it comes to execution on the offensive end.

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers /

Philadelphia 76ers

In some ways, his biggest weakness piggybacks off his best strength. He’s at his best when manipulating the offense and getting the ball in motion. He wants to pass, move and get the offense going side to side. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a limit on how often a player can successfully rely on his passing. There’s a fine line between being pass-first and passing too often, and Simmons still needs to find it.

Simmons has shown flashes of his scoring prowess around the rim. He’s ambidextrous when he wants to be, knocking down the occasional hook shot with either hands while flashing a short-range pull-up that made a brief appearance in the 2016 summer league. It’s when he drives the lane and can’t stave off his right hand, or can’t find the touch that seemed so evident a couple years ago, that leaves room for concern.

There’s plenty of time for Simmons to find his touch as a scorer, but he simply doesn’t finish well around the basket. He still relies almost solely on his right hand at the rim, which makes him easier to defend and mucks up what would otherwise be easy looks. It almost makes me open to him changing his hand as a shooter, considering it wouldn’t impact his game much if he — not you, Markelle — made some major alterations to his jumper.

Nonetheless, Simmons needs to become more willing to use his left hand at the basket. He has the ability, it’s just a matter of him actually doing so on a regular season.

He’ll also need to fight through contact more often. He’s a 6-foot-10 freight train with the grace of a point guard. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be willing to take on bodies at the rim, rather than falling back on floaters, awkward pull-ups. It’s what separates capable interior scorers from the elite.

We’ve also seen Simmons pass up looks at the rim in favor of passing it back out to the perimeter, which ties back to that aforementioned line between pass-first and passing too often. Simmons has to look for his own offense more often, and be more confident when doing so. It’s an issue that has nagged him since high school, and could prevent him from taking the next step as a star-caliber talent in the NBA.

One several occasions, we’ve seen Simmons drive the lane, probe the paint, and dump the ball out to the likes of Jerryd Bayless or J.J. Redick with the shot clock on it’s last legs. That stalls the offense, leading to well-contested, out of rhythm heaves.

Here’s a line from our recap of Wednesday night’s loss to the Houston Rockets, in which Simmons contributed to some of the team’s struggles down the stretch.

"“One problem that has developed for him though is that in some situations (and especially when he gets a favorable switch) he’ll probe the defense but not make anything happen, and then pass it to a stationary Bayless or Covington on the perimeter with three seconds left on the shot clock and expect them to be able to manufacture a good shot.”"

Even with his strong start, this will be a season of adjustments for for the 21-year-old. He’ll still need to learn the pace of NBA games while figuring out where his skill set fits into an offense that features Joel Embiid (and hopefully Markelle Fultz, eventually). He needs to find that next gear as a finisher too, which will help the offense execute down more crisply down the stretch while avoiding those broken plays.

Next: 5 storylines after the Sixers' first week

We’re watching the evolution of a potentially-generational talent. Hopefully he can make the adjustments needed to take the next step in his development.