Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris gives thoughts on Ben Simmons’ jumper, work ethic

In a recent TV appearance, Philadelphia 76ers star Tobias Harris provided insight on Ben Simmons’ summer workouts.

The Philadelphia 76ers are primed for contention in 2019-20, powered by several high-impact free agent signings. Tobias Harris re-upped his contract, earning five years and $180 million to return as the Sixers’ foremost perimeter scorer.

This summer, Harris has been in the gym, skipping out on Team USA and preparing for Philadelphia’s season. In the process, he has worked out with Ben Simmons on multiple occasions. In a recent appearance on Fox Sports 1’s First Things First, he opened up on Simmons’ work ethic.

Video of Simmons shooting in scrimmages has surfaced in recent weeks, which would seem to corroborate Harris’ story. He spoke highly of Simmons, saying the 6-foot-10 pheonom is in the gym working and “confident with [his jump shot].”

In one photo Harris shared on his Instagram, Simmons was wearing ‘shooting gloves,’ which supposedly aid in holding a follow-through. There’s considerable evidence, both tangible and spoken, that Simmons is prioritizing his jumper this summer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_SGT8BxwQ/

Those are all good things, and there’s no reason to expect anything short of the truth on Harris’ front. He has first-hand knowledge of Simmons’ summer and is relaying positive information to the fans. It’s all very good.

With that said, it’s important to temper expectations. Simmons’ jump shot video didn’t indicate the smoothest mechanics. His elbow is still flared, he still has a tendency to fade away and remembering the setting is important. It’s a low-stakes scrimmage and his misses aren’t worked into the highlight reel.

There are tons of positives here. Confidence has always been the key to Simmons’ growth. Even with funky mechanics, the simple willingness to shoot is an important step in the right direction. We won’t get further into the minutia of his mechanics, but Simmons has made jumpers before. You must crawl before you can walk.

There has been evidence of how confidence shapes Simmons’ performance throughout his first two seasons. When he’s aggressively getting to the rim, embracing contract and sinking foul shots, Simmons looks the part of an perennial All-NBA talent. In moments where Simmons is more timid, it’s a different outlook.

Until Simmons can hit spot-up 3s at a semi-reliable clip, there’s not much good rooted in his jumper. The Sixers will not benefit from Simmons inefficiently taking fadeaway mid-range shots. That’s the case for most good shooters, not to mention a blatantly ineffective one.

In the end, Simmons’ highest potential is tied to a 3-pointer at some point down the line. He can contribute to winning without one, but a true jump shot places Simmons in top-10 territory. According to Harris, Simmons is putting in the work to get there.