Philadelphia’s goals for the offseason were to get smaller and put more shooters around Simmons. That would allow him to play in more space in the half court, and get out in transition more often. And they’ve done just that. The 76ers have increased their number of 3-point attempts while going from no. 20 in the NBA in pace to no. 4. S
immons is playing with more freedom on offense because the defense can’t just pack the paint and dare him to shoot. But despite all that freedom, he’s not looking to score. His field goal and free throw attempts per game (9.2 and 4.5, respectively) are down from last season.
He created just one basket for himself in the half court on Thursday. His other three came from catching a lob, a putback on the offensive glass, and a run-out in transition after a steal.
The focus on Simmons’s refusal to shoot 3s misses the bigger point. Simmons attempted one 3 on Thursday, and already has hoisted almost half as many (three) as he did all of last season.
The more glaring issue is that he struggles to score from anywhere outside of 3 feet from the basket. Simmons is shooting 33.3 percent between 3 and 10 feet and zero percent between 10 feet and the 3-point line. That trend goes back to his rookie season.
Simmons doesn’t really have a plan when he can’t get to the rim.
He can’t shoot off the dribble, and has never had
a consistent floater. The end result when he’s forced to shoot are off-balance shots that don’t have much chance. The 3-point shot may or may not come, but these are the ones that he has to make:
The second problem is that there’s still no great answer for how to utilize Simmons when Embiid has the ball. The center has been playing at an MVP level this season, averaging 25 points on 53.6 percent shooting, 11.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Simmons can’t feed Embiid in the post or play with him in the pick-and-roll since defenses will just sag off him. He’s in just the 13th percentile of scorers leaguewide as a ball handler in the pick-and-roll. There are plenty of examples in each game when the lack of synergy between the Sixers’ two stars is clear:
It’s unclear what Rivers and Morey are supposed to do if they want to keep the tandem together. Embiid and Simmons always have been an uncomfortable fit. Playing more shooters around them was the obvious first step. There may not be a second.
One possible solution is to use Simmons like the Heat use Bam Adebayo. Bam (6-foot-9 and 255 pounds) is about the same size as Simmons (6-foot-10 and 240 pounds). Both can pass, handle the ball, and defend at a high level all over the floor. Bam made a leap in last season’s playoffs
when Miami downsized and played him as a small-ball 5 with four shooters around him. They put him in a million pick-and-rolls on offense and used him to blow up those plays on defense. He’s not an elite scorer, either. But he took advantage of the driving lanes created
when he rolled to the basket after screening for a shooter like Tyler Herro.
That’s how Simmons could be at his best. The easiest way to attack a defense hiding someone like Olynyk on him is to force Olynyk to defend a guard in the pick-and-roll and put three shooters behind the play. Simmons would get open lanes to the basket, and opportunities to make passes in four-on-three situations. While it might be a tough sell for a player who has always thought of himself as a point guard, “point center” has a nice ring to it, too.
But Simmons can’t be a point center when he’s playing next to one of the NBA’s best centers in Embiid. The logic of trading Simmons for Harden was sound. Breaking up Simmons and Embiid could unlock better versions of each player. That’s why Morey pursued the deal so aggressively despite
spending his first few months in Philly saying that he wouldn’t.
Simmons has not fundamentally changed as a player in four seasons in the league. There’s no guarantee that he ever will. The best chance of getting more out of him is putting him in a different role with different players around him. That just can’t happen in Philadelphia.
