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Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons wants to take next step

By Lucas Johnson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 7: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up before Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 7, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 7: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up before Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 7, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons has realized that if he wants to be an All-Star, he has to add another dimension to his game.

Ben Simmons may be one of the best up-and-coming point guards in the NBA. He stands at 6-foot-10 and in his rookie years averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists. While Simmons current abilities can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a competitive team and him a notable player in the NBA, he has had been limited ability to really take over as a competitor based on his lack of a consistent jump shot. It’s very clear based off of a recent interview with Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports, Simmons wants to make a big step this next upcoming season.

In the video interview, Uluc and Simmons are most likely playing NBA 2K19 while Uluc is asking Simmons his questions. During the interview, there were two important themes which was the focus of Simmons’ shooting and his goal, which is to become an All-Star.

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Simmons is listed as left handed on Basketball Reference, however in the interview Simmons didn’t give Uluc a straight answer about which hand he will be shooting with moving forward. According to Uluc, Simmons still shoots with his left hand, however there is a video of him making a half court shot facing away from the basket and using his right hand. That video on twitter doesn’t help any speculation of which hand he will use once the season begins.

Regardless of which hand Simmons ends up shooting with next season, it was clear from the interview that he feels he needs to add something in order to reach his All-Star goal.

"“It just depends where I wanna be later in life,”…“I can be satisfied with 15, eight, and eight, or if I wanna be at that next level and be an All-Star, then I add something to my game.”"

When Simmons talks about he never had to work on his shooting in the past and his goal of becoming an All-Star, it’s clear that the two are connected. Which is good, in the past I wrote about how Simmons adding a jump shot will greatly help the Sixers and the team’s quest for a title. It’s pretty evident that if Simmons wants to be an All-Star then it starts with his jump shot, due to the fact that he didn’t make any of his 11 attempts from the 3-point line this past season.

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This goal is a great personal step for Simmons and of course this will greatly benefit the Philadelphia 76ers as well. In the end it doesn’t matter which hand Simmons shoots with as long as he can become a respectable shooter from behind the behind the arc.