Ben Simmons is often criticized for his borderline refusal to shoot the three-pointer, but new coach Doc Rivers seems to think it is a non-issue.
The Philadelphia 76ers head coach downplayed concerns about Simmons’ three-point shooting on Tuesday.
“I don’t care about Ben’s shooting as much as other people seem to,” Rivers said, per Tom Moore of The Intelligencer. “If he takes no 3s, I’m fine. If he takes ten 3s a game, I’m fine. … I’m going to give him the keys.”
Simmons’ non-shooting is a glaring wart in his game, and it severely cramps Philadelphia’s floor-spacing on offense. The two-time All-Star shot just seven three-pointers last season (making two of them) and has attempted only 24 of them in his three-year NBA career thus far.
While Simmons’ lack of a jumper was a slight point of contention with old coach Brett Brown, with Rivers comes a new offense that could find creative ways to ultimately mask that weakness.
