NBA Season Preview 2019-20: Every team’s biggest question

Philadelphia 76ers: Can Ben Simmons shoot?

For Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers, the years may change, but the question remains the same. Can their 23-year-old franchise player keep defenses honest from behind the 3-point arc?

At this point, it’s perhaps not even a question of Simmons’ ability to shoot from range. Is he even willing to attempt to do so? We all know Simmons has never actually hit an NBA 3-pointer, but if you set aside end-of-quarter heaves, he’s only attempted two across his 182 regular and postseason games. His utter reluctance to even put attempts in the air has created a truly unique defensive indifference: Why would a defender stay anywhere near him when there isn’t even a small chance of being punished for sagging off? When he has the ball beyond the 3-point arc, there often isn’t a defender within 10 feet of him.

It’s a truly unprecedented conundrum for Philadelphia. Simmons is the functional point guard of their offense, and he’s a player who needs the ball in his hands to be most effective. There isn’t another player in the league with as much ball-handling responsibility as Simmons who is such a non-factor away from the rim. His shot profile looks like that of a rim-running center more than a guard.

Ben Simmons is still a unique and dynamic NBA talent. Few players have ever boasted his combination of size, speed, athleticism and passing ability. Even if he never develops a consistent outside shot, he should be a yearly candidate for the All-Star Game.

The Sixers are concerned with more than individual accolades, however. They’re a team with legitimate championship aspirations, and Simmons’ unwillingness to shoot may be a weakness they can’t afford. But perhaps the tides are finally starting to change: In a preseason matchup against the Guanzhou Long-Lions, Simmons finally made his first 3-pointer in organized NBA action, a confident pull-up from the right wing.

Is this a sign that Simmons is finally ready to shed the narrative? Or is it merely a preseason blip that won’t translate when the games start to count? Both player and team would undoubtedly prefer the former.