Orlando Magic: 5 goals for Jonathon Simmons in 2017-18
4. Double his scoring average
Jonathon Simmons took one more shot per game in his sophomore season, but failed to provide a larger scoring impact for the Spurs.
Even though he launched 5.4 shots a night, one more than he averaged in his debut season, Simmons managed just a slight uptick in scoring. The 6.2 points he averaged was slightly above the 6.0 points he posted in 2015-16.
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Part of the reason Simmons wasn’t able to dramatically increase his scoring total stems from his field goal percentage dipping dramatically. In a more limited role in the Spurs offense’ during his rookie campaign, Simmons connected on 50.4 percent of his attempts from the field, with nearly half of his shot attempts coming at the rim.
As Simmons tried to establish himself as a long range shooter last year, only one third of his shot attempts came at the rim.
Simmons has a knack for limiting opponents, especially from 3-point range, as he held the players he was guarding to 7.4 percent below their normal percentage from beyond the arc.
If Simmons can either connect much more frequently than the 29.4 percent he shot from 3-point range, or renew his focus on attempts at the rim, the Magic will allow him an opportunity to more than double the 6.2 points per game he averaged a year ago.