1. 3-point shooting
This one is probably the least surprising. With the loss of Redick, the Sixers still managed to add Tobias Harris and Al Horford, who are able to space the floor with the deep ball. Those additions still aren’t translating well, as they have had problems closing close games. Stats also show that they need to step it up.
As a team, they have fallen to 25th in three-point attempts compared to 19th last season. As for total three-pointers made this year, they rank 21st.
Then there is the whole Simmons three-point situation. Since videos posted on social media this summer showed Simmons working on his deep ball, he has made two threes. That is two more than he has during his entire career.
In mid-December, coach Brown pretty much begged Simmons to take at least one three-pointer a game.
"“This is what I want, you can pass this along to his agent, his family, his friends, and to him, I want a three-point shot a game, minimum.”"
The first step in fixing this issue is simply taking more threes. As the famous quote says, “you miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take.”
None of these issues are going to be fixed overnight, especially with new pieces added. However, as the season ages and players start getting comfortable with each other, you would expect some of these problems to at least improve a bit, especially for a team with significant championship implications.