The Philadelphia 76ers have a special player in Ben Simmons. He is one of the most gifted and popular players in the league, but is he playing the right position? Does Brett Brown need to make a change in the near future?
Ben Simmons has a problem. It is a problem that an ego check would easily help solve. If he was not obstinate to change, the results could be monumental. Clearly, the elephant in the room is his lack of a jump shot. While he’s trying to figure out when and if he will decide to shoot, perhaps there is another avenue the Philadelphia 76ers can take.
Throughout NBA history, there have been a number of players with a similar stature as Simmons. Their height lent itself to the forward position and all of the responsibilities that came with it. Rebounding and defending the opposing teams’ most athletic wing players are just a few of them.
The truly special forwards used an ability to dribble and run a fast break to the likes of a point guard. The point forward position is nothing new and Simmons could be more effective for the 76ers if head coach Brett Brown convinced him to do so in transition situations.
Players like Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen, and LeBron James demonstrate that versatility is an asset. Getting a team into its half-court set and running plays for the team was something they didn’t do at the amateur level. There was some position adjustment for those players as their careers advanced.
At Duke, Hill had Bobby Hurley running the offense. In Chicago, John Paxson brought the ball up the court while Pippen played a traditional small forward. With LeBron, playing with several teams where he had point guards like Eric Snow and Mario Chalmers, there were key moments where James would take the helm of the offense.
The difference between these Hall of Fame players and Simmons is that they had no reservations shooting outside the paint. Simmons should continue to be the master of the fast break, but evidence has shown his current half-court style must improve.
Getting the team into its half-court set with another player other than Simmons would be beneficial to the 76ers. Things would run much smoother and open up more opportunities. Just think of how much more ball movement could take place if Shake Milton brought the ball up the court.
Simmons could use his 6-foot-10 frame and set back screens for Josh Richardson and Tobias Harris. He could even refine his post game and take advantage of smaller defenders more often. In the process, Milton’s propensity to shoot from the outside would force his defender to step out, creating more space in the paint for Joel Embiid.
There have been countless times where Simmons’ defender sags so far away that you could draw a hopscotch board between them. We all know that Simmons is almost unstoppable in a fast break situation, but why does he have to bring the ball up the court?
Doing this means a change in the starting lineup and that could actually help the team in a few ways. With Simmons moving to the forward position in the half-court set, that would allow Brown to switch out Al Horford for Milton.
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This gives the 76ers another perimeter threat in Milton, who can also create his own shot as the shot clock runs down. It gives Horford quality bench minutes to accommodate the need for Embiid to rest.
Whenever the offense slows down and the ball is brought up the court, Milton would be more effective with initializing the offense. In this system, Simmons could contribute in other ways without hurting the team with his jump shot deficiency.
The message is not to put handcuffs on Simmons’ transition game. His vision is tremendous, and his speed is remarkable. This is his strength as he produces fastbreak points that the 76ers truly need.
He just doesn’t need to be bringing the ball up and trying to get the team into a half-court set. Leaving that to a true guard, who is willing to shoot, will keep the defense honest and the paint open.
What will the Philadelphia 76ers do when the season resumes? Will they keep Simmons at point guard and continue to allow the ball defender to sag? Or, will Brown move Simmons to a point forward in transition situations and allow Milton to step in and run the half-court sets? Unless Simmons starts shooting from the outside, Brown may have no choice.