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That 0-for-17 accuracy rate hasn't deterred an
offseason experiment where Simmons shot bushels of 3s in hopes
of becoming a factor from behind the arc.
Sixers coach Brett Brown says the 23-year-old All-Star point
guard will be counted on to hoist long-range shots this season.
"The time that he has invested over the course of this summer is
the best by a long shot that he ever has," Brown told reporters
on Wednesday at a media luncheon. "His awareness of this thing
in the marketplace, he's prideful, he gets it. His confidence
that I saw when he came back to Philadelphia and played in our
gym over the last few weeks just stood out, it shone as if he
had invested time and he was looking forward to showing us."
Simmons, who averaged 16.9 points last season, has been
reluctant to fire up 3-pointers, even when teams back off and
leave him open by five feet and sometimes up to 10 or more.
Brown said that will change. He just wants Simmons to make smart
decisions while showing more aggressiveness in taking them.
"With Ben, we're not going to hunt 3s," Brown said. "When they
are available, I want him to shoot them. The reckless use of 3s
doesn't tie into my initial statement of our team being huge.
"I do think we can play a style of play that is just smash-mouth
defense and bully-ball offense, I think this team has the
ability to do that. And so it leans more toward that than, let's
come down and crank out 3s."
Brown said that Simmons hiding near the baseline on offense will
no longer be a regular occurrence. Simmons will now venture into
the corners and, as he gains confidence, he may be situated by
the 3-point line in the middle of the floor.
"You're not going to see me put him down there at the start of
the year," Brown said of the baseline. "I want to give him a
chance to be spaced. You're probably going to see him in one of
the corners, but I'm going to start there.
"We're going to encourage him to shoot 3s, and we're going to
encourage him ... if he sees a straight-line drive, take off and
eat it up. I think I can help him use the space in both of those
ways."
Brown also indicated that the health of All-Star center Joel
Embiid will again be a priority. Embiid played in a career-best
64 regular-season games last season, which means he still didn't
play in 22 percent of the contests.
Embiid averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists last
season when he registered 58 double-doubles. He has experienced
foot and knee issues since entering the NBA and has played in
just 158 games since being the No. 3 overall pick of the 2014
NBA Draft.
--Field Level Media
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