Go big or go home: 76ers pursue title dreams by bucking small-ball trend

Storyline No. 1: So … about that jumper, Ben ….

Just 16 days into the new league year, the Philadelphia 76ers took care of one important piece of business: locking All-Star point guard Ben Simmons into a long-term extension.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons was entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2019-20, but ensured he will be with the Sixers for the longer term after signing a five-year, $169.65 million extension on July 16.

Some critics questioned why the 76ers would give a max extension to a perimeter player whose next regular-season 3-pointer will be the first of his career.

For some reason with Ben Simmons, the discussion always seems more about what he does not do — take jump shots — than what he does.

Last season, Simmons averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 34.2 minutes per game, shooting 56.3 percent overall and hitting a poor 60.0 percent at the foul line.

From 3-point range? Simmons was a non-factor, going 0-for-6. Entering this season, he’s bagel-for-17 in his two-year career.

But he spent his offseason working on his jumper, eschewing a trip to China with Australia’s Boomers for the FIBA World Cup to get into the lab.

The form looked fairly solid in that video (even if his baseline turnaround would have been smoother had he turned the other way).

Then came the preseason shot heard ’round the world: Simmons buried a 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer of the 76ers’ walkaway win over the Guangzhou Long-Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association.

So far in three preseason appearances covering 68 minutes, that has been Simmons’ only attempt from behind the arc.

Still, he’s shooting 16-for-26 (61.5 percent) overall with 20.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The free throw shooting is still a work in progress, as Simmons is just 6-for-11 in the preseason (54.5 percent).

It will be important for Simmons to make himself a bit more of a threat outside the paint this season, particularly in Philadelphia’s gigantic starting lineup. Joel Embiid can stretch the floor a bit and Al Horford is solid from mid-range, but if defenses had to play closer than two miles from Simmons when he had the ball above the break, it might open up some more room inside.