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Philadelphia 76ers: Team success hindering Ben Simmons’ development

By Daniel Lubofsky

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 25: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up before the game against the Boston Celtics on December 25, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 25: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up before the game against the Boston Celtics on December 25, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Because of their pursuit for a title, the Philadelphia 76ers can’t afford Ben Simmons the trial and error so many his age are given.

The average top pick in any given NBA Draft usually winds up on an organization in the midst of a rebuilding process. There are little to no expectations for said player to play his best right away, let alone help compete for an NBA championship, but Ben Simmons isn’t one of those players.

As we all know, Simmons was drafted No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft. Both he and Joel Embiid were — and still are — two of the brightest young stars the league had to offer, and with some internal development coupled with actual experience, they’d soon dominate the rest of the competition.

Last season, their first playing together, the duo — along with the rest of the Sixers — was expected to take a natural step forward from their 28-win 2016-17 campaign. CBS Sports had them pegged for 40.7 wins. Sports Illustrated didn’t even have them making the playoffs.

Yet there Philly was, winning 52 games with a berth in the conference semis, clearly ahead of everyone’s schedule, probably even their own.

Heading into 2018-19, the logical next step would be for the Philly to advance further than the second round, hopefully into the NBA Finals. This was no ordinary group of youngsters, having skipped a few of the steps developing teams tend to take before they ascend to the top of the standings.

The glaring weakness in Simmons’ game isn’t just his inability to hit an outside jumper, but also his lack of desire to even attempt such a shot. He took just 11 3-pointers last season and hasn’t attempted one so far this year. The 22-footer he forcibly heaved against the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day was the longest make in his short career, but in a sense, there’s a method to the Aussie’s madness.

Despite the youth of their star players, the Sixers are going for a championship this season. The trade for Jimmy Butler indicated as much.

Whereas a guy like Trae Young can shoot 24.6 percent on 5.2 3-point attempts per game due to the long game the Atlanta Hawks are playing, Philly can’t afford to waste games or even possessions allowing their point guard to get in-game reps from beyond the arc. The offense, and likely the team’s record, would be significantly worse off for it.

The Sixers right now have put winning above development, and for good reason. They’ve surprisingly raised the bar much faster than anyone could’ve expected. But maybe if Simmons were playing on a team not looking to win now, he’d be more willing to attempt shots outside the restricted area, knowing that, similar to your average little league team, it’s not about winning or losing, but about trying and learning from your mistakes.

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Those mistakes are something Philly can’t afford to push through at this moment though, and it may ultimately come at the expense of Simmons’ improvement in the area the franchise so desperately needs him to develop if they are to complete the Process.