Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons is committed to expanding his game

The Philadelphia 76ers star is looking to become even better in year two.

There has been an odd narrative floating around Twitter in recent days. Some are questioning Ben Simmons’ desire to get better, harping on the idea that his vision for success might not align with most experts.

Given Simmons’ long track record of pre-NBA success, it seems foolish to question his drive and desire to improve. He’s in excellent physical condition and is already among the league’s elite playmakers, displaying shades of Magic Johnson during a historic rookie season.

With that said, Simmons did have some glaring weaknesses that caught up to him in the postseason. Without a functional jumper, the Celtics were able to game-plan around Ben’s inability to space the floor.

That allowed them to sag off, clog passing lanes and force Simmons to be aggressive as a scorer — something he’s not always comfortable doing. Now it’s up to the Philadelphia 76ers star to make the necessary improvements this offseason.

In a recent interview with 97.5 The Fanatic’s Dei Lynam and Mike Missanelli, Simmons had this to say about his rookie season and his goals moving forward.

"“For me last season, I was trying to do what I was really good at – facilitating, getting guys involved, getting to the rim, and obviously making plays…You’ve got to start slowly. If it’s adding a free throw that gets up to 80.0 percent, that’s about five more points right there. If you add little things and keep adding over time, that’s how you become great…If you take [jump shots], [teams] give you a little bit more respect, and you’re able to make more moves and dissect the defense. This summer, I’ve been working a lot on certain things that I’ll definitely use.” — 97.5 The Fanatic, via Sixers.com"

It’s clear that Simmons is working on his shot, both from the free-throw line and during live action. Recent video shows slight improvement in Simmons’ mechanics, but it still feels as though switching hands — at least long term — is his best option.

As Simmons mentioned in the interview, adding more layers to his game is the key to unlocking his potential. If he can knock down mid-range jumpers, defenders have to respect his range. That allows him to take advantage of his elite slashing ability.

Add in a league-averagre free throw rate, and Simmons becomes more comfortable driving the lane and absorbing contact, racking up fouls and adding more points to his stat line.

Not to mention the natural improvement in the rebounding and assist departments, where Simmons can easily push double digits. He’s the biggest triple-double threat not named Russell Westbrook.

If Markelle Fultz takes another step forward, that will also help diversify Simmons’ approach on offense. He’s an elite 6-foot-10 athlete with major upside as an off-ball cutter and post-up threat, areas Fultz would allow him to explore more often.

Simply put, the narrative that Simmons might not want to improve is lazy. He’s looking to add to his game, meaning we should see improvement across the board in his second season. That’s the norm for most young players anyway.