Sixers head coach hypes up Ben Simmons’ 3-point shot

Ben Simmons’ outside shot has long been the glaring weakness in his game, but there may be reason to believe it’s improving.

Simmons has been working on his 3-point shot in practice for the Philadelphia 76ers lately, according to head coach Brett Brown.

“He shot more threes in practice the last few days than he might have in almost half a season. He looks good, he feels good, and I know he’s getting tremendous encouragement from his teammates,” Brown said on Thursday, via The Athletic’s Derek Bodner.

Simmons, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016, was 0-for-17 on threes in his first two seasons. This season he was 2-for-6 prior to the season’s suspension. His overall field goal percentage has improved to 58.5 percent this season, too.

So why might he be working on his three-point shot? With Shake Milton rising to prominence during Simmons’ absence, Philly may be doing some lineup shuffling. That would result in Simmons playing forward more during the restart in Orlando for the 39-26 76ers.