The Ben Simmons Megathread

[MR28]

I really don't understand how Ben's FT motion ended up looking like that when working with a shooting coach.

That is just a completely unnatural motion. You could put people on the FT line who have never played basketball seriously and nothing would look like unnatural.

He's completely stiff from head to toe.

[Sixerscan]

Read on Twitter

Your team is infinitely more entertaining than mine right now, and I'm lucky to live in the Philly market. I can't wait to see them on the 15th.

What is the tweet about? There isn't too much to think about there to be honest.

Ben Simmons wasn't the point guard at LSU... Tim Quarterman was. Simmons was at the 4 which meant he could easily get double and tripled teamed. He could pass out... its just nobody else on the LSU squad could play. He often got the ball at PG when LSU were down 10 with 3 mins to go and by then it was often too late.

Basically he was mismanaged at LSU and played out of position. Ben Simmons knew it, Ben Simmons dad knew it, Rich Paul knew it and said it... even Brett Brown knew it. Only LSU coach Johnny Jones didn't and he is now bagging groceries for a living.

Believe the tweet is saying that LSU was terribly run if it couldn't get into the tournament with Ben Simmons on its roster. Not anything bad about Simmons.

[CoreyGallagher]

“You have an opportunity,” James told Simmons early on, “to be better than me. But you can’t skip steps. You have to do the work.” Those words helped sustain him when he stumbled at LSU and helped fuel him as he rehabbed in Philadelphia. “Is this really going to happen?” he asked himself. He knew, even if others wavered, that it would. Because LeBron said so, and for a prospect of Simmons’s vintage, no endorsement means more. “Part of his greatness,” Simmons says, “is that he wants others to be just as great.”

“I watch all my highlights,” Simmons says. “I should have jumped into Sefolosha there and drawn contact.” He has already reviewed pick-and-rolls with coaches (“Utah was going under the screen, but even though I hit shots, I kept hesitating”) and switches with teammates. On a guard-guard screen, the Jazz flared out the screener and J.J. Redick shouted “Red,” meaning that Simmons should switch, but he stayed with his man. At the ensuing timeout, Simmons told Redick he called the Red late. “Ben,” Redick replied. “I know when I call the Red late. I didn’t call the Red late. But it’s not about who’s right or wrong. It’s about making sure we don’t f--- it up next time.”

This is how you know the Process is over. After four years of self-inflicted losing streaks and lottery picks, the 76ers are quibbling about the exact timing of their switches, the kind of minutiae that consumes winners. “I don’t look at it as a process anymore,” Simmons says. “Now it’s just time to play.” Trust the Talent: Snipers such as Redick and Robert Covington spread around Simmons and Joel Embiid, the most captivating duo since Durant and Russell Westbrook were backpacking in Oklahoma City.

Before the 76ers faced the Lakers two days after beating the Clippers, Simmons predicted the impending devastation. “I’m going to throw it to Jo every time,” he said. “And no one’s going to stop him.” Embiid scored 46 points, Lonzo two. Simmons is smothering opposing point guards in addition to juking them, a quality that separates him from behemoth ballhandlers such as Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who typically defends 4s and 5s. Simmons keeps a close eye on the Greek Freak, another towering headliner from a faraway place with an emergent team. Antetokounmpo is the higher scorer, Simmons the superior passer. Philadelphia, without another natural facilitator in its starting lineup, leads the Eastern Conference in assists.

https://www.si.com/nba/2017/11/30/ben-simmons-philadelphia-76ers-lebron-james-the-process

[Simmons25]

Read on Twitter

Your team is infinitely more entertaining than mine right now, and I'm lucky to live in the Philly market. I can't wait to see them on the 15th.

What is the tweet about? There isn't too much to think about there to be honest.

Ben Simmons wasn't the point guard at LSU... Tim Quarterman was. Simmons was at the 4 which meant he could easily get double and tripled teamed. He could pass out... its just nobody else on the LSU squad could play. He often got the ball at PG when LSU were down 10 with 3 mins to go and by then it was often too late.

Basically he was mismanaged at LSU and played out of position. Ben Simmons knew it, Ben Simmons dad knew it, Rich Paul knew it and said it... even Brett Brown knew it. Only LSU coach Johnny Jones didn't and he is now bagging groceries for a living.

Believe the tweet is saying that LSU was terribly run if it couldn't get into the tournament with Ben Simmons on its roster. Not anything bad about Simmons.

Yeah I took it to be a slight on LSU not Ben... I just wonder why people still think about it as if it was some mystery. Look at LSU's record the year after Ben left under the same coach. They lost 15 in a row and were copping regular 20-30 point hidings.

[Unbreakable99]

“You have an opportunity,” James told Simmons early on, “to be better than me. But you can’t skip steps. You have to do the work.” Those words helped sustain him when he stumbled at LSU and helped fuel him as he rehabbed in Philadelphia. “Is this really going to happen?” he asked himself. He knew, even if others wavered, that it would. Because LeBron said so, and for a prospect of Simmons’s vintage, no endorsement means more. “Part of his greatness,” Simmons says, “is that he wants others to be just as great.”

“I watch all my highlights,” Simmons says. “I should have jumped into Sefolosha there and drawn contact.” He has already reviewed pick-and-rolls with coaches (“Utah was going under the screen, but even though I hit shots, I kept hesitating”) and switches with teammates. On a guard-guard screen, the Jazz flared out the screener and J.J. Redick shouted “Red,” meaning that Simmons should switch, but he stayed with his man. At the ensuing timeout, Simmons told Redick he called the Red late. “Ben,” Redick replied. “I know when I call the Red late. I didn’t call the Red late. But it’s not about who’s right or wrong. It’s about making sure we don’t f--- it up next time.”

This is how you know the Process is over. After four years of self-inflicted losing streaks and lottery picks, the 76ers are quibbling about the exact timing of their switches, the kind of minutiae that consumes winners. “I don’t look at it as a process anymore,” Simmons says. “Now it’s just time to play.” Trust the Talent: Snipers such as Redick and Robert Covington spread around Simmons and Joel Embiid, the most captivating duo since Durant and Russell Westbrook were backpacking in Oklahoma City.

Before the 76ers faced the Lakers two days after beating the Clippers, Simmons predicted the impending devastation. “I’m going to throw it to Jo every time,” he said. “And no one’s going to stop him.” Embiid scored 46 points, Lonzo two. Simmons is smothering opposing point guards in addition to juking them, a quality that separates him from behemoth ballhandlers such as Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who typically defends 4s and 5s. Simmons keeps a close eye on the Greek Freak, another towering headliner from a faraway place with an emergent team. Antetokounmpo is the higher scorer, Simmons the superior passer. Philadelphia, without another natural facilitator in its starting lineup, leads the Eastern Conference in assists.

https://www.si.com/nba/2017/11/30/ben-simmons-philadelphia-76ers-lebron-james-the-process

Good read.

[Negrodamus]

Read on Twitter

hmmm.

[Ericb5]

Read on Twitter

hmmm.

Wow!

That is very interesting. He really IS ambidextrous. If I shot a free throw with my off hand it would be a disaster. Maybe switching to the right hand will technically be possible after all. I wouldn't have thought that it would have been practical.

[76ciology]

Read on Twitter

[Sixersftw]

Read on Twitter

hmmm.

Wow!

That is very interesting. He really IS ambidextrous. If I shot a free throw with my off hand it would be a disaster. Maybe switching to the right hand will technically be possible after all. I wouldn't have thought that it would have been practical.

I really didn't buy it at first but if you look at his base and how he creates power w/ his legs, he really should be shooting with his right hand. I'm fine with him literally dominating the NBA while using the wrong hand this season but the offseason should be 100% about making that switch.

[nrok10307]

Read on Twitter

hmmm.

Wow!

That is very interesting. He really IS ambidextrous. If I shot a free throw with my off hand it would be a disaster. Maybe switching to the right hand will technically be possible after all. I wouldn't have thought that it would have been practical.

I really didn't buy it at first but if you look at his base and how he creates power w/ his legs, he really should be shooting with his right hand. I'm fine with him literally dominating the NBA while using the wrong hand this season but the offseason should be 100% about making that switch.

The guide hand... the arc on the ball... it all looks so natural. He should be shooting 300 right handed FTs a day after the embarrassment last night. I really hope that's why Brown kept him in - the kid has too much pride not to use that embarrassment as motivation to improve.

Fun to imagine Ben shooting right handed and becoming a Curry/Lebron hybrid, dominating the NBA with Embiid for the next 10 years... one can dream

[cksdayoff]

WTFFFFFFffffff!!!!! simmons has a damn good beautiful stroke shooting right handed. and you can see the touch! god, if he switches to his right hand with reps, its over for the league.

but im wondering why he didnt shoot with his right hand with his free throws during the game

[cksdayoff]

Read on Twitter

wtf...

i guess the coaching staff wants ben to experience failure shooting left handed before the switch. ultimately it’s ben simmons who has to want to switch shooting hands. he has to have both feet in. i think last night’s performance at the free theow line will push him to change

[Kobblehead]

If Ben Simmons switches shooting hands and actually learns to function as a ranged shotmaker, what is to stop him from developing into the best player in the NBA? He'd be almost perfect.

[Sixersftw]

If Ben Simmons switches shooting hands and actually learns to function as a ranged shotmaker, what is to stop him from developing into the best player in the NBA? He'd be almost perfect.

The only thing that could stop him from being the best player in the NBA is if Embiid gets there first. He would be a better defending Magic Johnson with range (skillset wise, intangibles not so much). Thats the best player of the post player of the post Lebron era.

[the_process]

Yep, time to work on shooting righty. But, as mentioned above, for it to really work it has to be Ben’s idea.

[Negrodamus]

It would be an awkward transition to shoot like that in the flow of the game. He wouldn't have any kind of fadeaway jumper nor could he take a clean jumper that is contested. It just doesn't work like that. He could shoot all his FTs with his right hand, though.

[Unbreakable99]

Reporters need to ask him questions about shooting with the right hand. How hard is it to politely say hey Ben I saw you shooting FTs with your right hand. It looked natural and it looked good. Do you think you might shoot right handed free throws? That's not attacking him. I know reporters want to stay on star players good side so they can stay in the loop with them but come on. Just ask him more shooting right handed questions.

[CoreyGallagher]

He’s not going to change his shooting hand during the season. He’s obviously not comfortable with it yet; however, it’s encouraging seeing that he’s at least willingly using his right in practice and in warm-ups.

[LongLiveHinkie]

Sixers personified in one play

[HartfordWhalers]

If Ben Simmons switches shooting hands and actually learns to function as a ranged shotmaker, what is to stop him from developing into the best player in the NBA? He'd be almost perfect.

The only thing that could stop him from being the best player in the NBA is if Embiid gets there first. He would be a better defending Magic Johnson with range (skillset wise, intangibles not so much). Thats the best player of the post player of the post Lebron era.

The only thing?