Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons’ ceiling for the 2019-20 season
The Philadelphia 76ers have their star point guard in Ben Simmons, but how much will he develop entering his third NBA season?
Ben Simmons is by far, the most talented player that’s under 25-years-old on the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s still developing, despite already winning rookie of the year and being elected as an All-Star last season. It’s unlikely he reaches his full potential this upcoming season, but like with the other young players that have been already written about, Simmons has a clear ceiling for this season.
Last year, Simmons averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks, while converting 56.3 percent of his shots from the floor. That should be considered his floor for this upcoming season, which is a very good one considering he very rarely took jump shots. That floor should still get him an All-Star appearance as well.
The 6-foot-10 point guard’s floor is high, but his ceiling is even higher. Throughout the summer, Simmons has been recorded attempting and making jump shots from the mid-range area and the 3-point line during scrimmages.
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For those who are getting excited, let’s remember that Simmons has yet to make a 3-pointer in the two seasons he’s played in thus far. Simmons’ won’t become an elite shooter this year, that will take time and it’s unknown if Simmons will ever become even an average shooter. Still, the fact that he’s been working on this all summer should hopefully translate to the NBA regular season.
Adding a jump shot to his game will open up the floor on offense for himself and his teammates. It will make defenders play closer up on him, which should allow him to drive to the basket more for layups or to pass to an open shooter. Assuming that Simmons takes at least two or three jumpers per game next season, then he could see an increase in points and assist per game. Theoretically, he could average around 20.0 points and 9.0 assists per game if he starts taking some jumpers.
Simmons has another year under his belt and learned from one of the better defenders in the NBA in Jimmy Butler last season as well. Which means Simmons could take the next step defensively and could possibly be named to an All-Defensive team this year, if he shows a moderate amount of improvement.
Next. Why Simmons can make an All-Defense team in 2019-20. dark
Don’t expect an outside shot to become an integral part of Simmons’ game this season, but it’s a tool that he should be willing to use on a semi-regular basis. His defense should be improved as well. If both of those things happen next season, then Simmons could enter the conversation as being the Philadelphia 76ers second superstar on the roster with Joel Embiid.