There are some things in life that no matter how unlikely it is, you still somehow, someway, have faith in it. Ben Simmons shooting a three-pointer is an example of this. The Sixers’ star Point Guard is in the midst of his third NBA season and his first as an All-Star, and yet he’s only taken 23 shots from deep, only making two. Constantly Simmons would get the city’s hopes up and he would dash them every time.
During his first two seasons in the NBA, Simmons was heavily criticized for his lack of jump shots and by the way he made it sound, this season would be different. Once again, everyone believed. The whole city thought this was going to be the year that Ben Simmons would finally consistently shoot.
Looking back, what happened next wasn’t surprising. After Sixers’ Head Coach Brett Brown publicly requested that Simmons shoot at least one three per-game, the Sixers’ Guard immediately stopped shooting threes. He only attempted one three-point shot over the remainder of the season. Brett Brown has since taken the blame for this but the only person who can control Simmons is Simmons.
That brings us to the present. After the Sixers released a video showing Simmons hitting a three at a recent team practice, Simmons released his own video of a practice session in LA from earlier this year. The video showed Simmons hitting almost every shot under the sun. From threes, to mid-range shots, to fadeaways, Simmons was showing a solid stroke and someone took notice.
Tony Snell of the Detroit Pistons was another participant of the practice. In a section of the video, Snell said to Simmons what every fan in Philadelphia has been screaming for years:
Snell: You should be shooting way more. Your shot looks good.
To which Simmons responded with one single word:
Simmons: Orlando.
With that one word, the hopes of every Sixers’ fan were lifted yet again. There is no logical reason to believe Simmons but we will until he lets us down again. Simmons went on to say that he was “coming for it”. Clearly Simmons is motivated for the return of the NBA season and he’s willing to work outside of his comfort zone as shown by his position change.
Only time will tell if he means it this time, but Simmons once again has the city of Philadelphia full of hope.
Manatory Credit – © Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
