The Sixer Sense
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Roundtable: Thoughts on Ben Simmons’ first month

By Christopher Kline

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to his rebound during a 109-105 win over the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to his rebound during a 109-105 win over the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Jacob Tucker

Simmons has been as good as advertised during his first 13 games. Often times people set lofty expectations for rookies, especially first overall picks, and Simmons has met and exceeded all of them.

He can get to pretty much anywhere on the floor whenever he wants and has done well at finishing at the rim and through traffic. He’s a mismatch nightmare for almost every team in the league. There are only a handful of players in the league that are quick enough to stay in front of him, and strong enough to keep him out of the paint. Thankfully one of them in Robert Covington is on our team.

Heading into the season my number one fear on what would limit Simmons’ game was not his lack of a jump shot, but a poor performance at the free throw line. He is shooting just a tick above 60 percent, which is better than I expected. That puts him just outside the Hack-A-Howard range, although some teams have tried it late in quarters. Simmons’ style in conducive to getting to the line, he’s taking 5.5 free throws per game which is good for 25th in the league. Improving his free throw stroke will allow him to play a bigger role in closing out close games.

Aside from free throw shooting, it is no secret that Ben Simmons could benefit from some sort of perimeter game. At this stage in his development he only seems comfortable from about 15 feet out or closer. When he catches the ball on the wing at the three-point line he doesn’t even consider shooting it, and that’s okay right now, but at some point he will need to be a competent shooter if he is to realize his full potential. Seeing him take pull-up elbow jumpers is encouraging, they’re just not falling consistently yet.

If Ben develops anything that remotely resembles an adequate shot, then the rest of the league is in trouble.