Sixers: Daryl Morey may be the best thing that ever happens to Ben Simmons

The easy assumption is that new Philadelphia 76ers top exec Daryl Morey won’t see eye-to-eye with Ben Simmons, but the Sixers duo may work out after all.

Philadelphia 76ers top exec Daryl Morey practically invented the all-3s and layups style of play in the NBA when he was with the Houston Rockets along with James Harden. The expected value of dunks, layups, 3-pointers and free throws are all high, while the EV of mid-range jump shots lags behind significantly, so why take those shots at all? However, that’s not the philosophy that the Sixers have followed.

This past season, the Sixers took the eighth-most mid-range jumpers in the NBA, averaging 14.3 per game. Notably, they shot just 39.9 percent on those, which demonstrates the low value of these shots in general and why Morey’s teams have eschewed them. Compare that with the Rockets, who took the fewest mid-range jumpers at just 5.5 per game, and you see the stark difference with how both teams operate.

Morey will modernize things considerably, along with new Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. One of the ways he’ll do that will be by bringing in more shooters via free agency, trades and the NBA draft, but the biggest way this should happen will be by optimizing the way they use Ben Simmons.

Perhaps the least Morey-esque elite player in the NBA, on paper it seems like Simmons and Morey couldn’t be a worse pairing. Simmons disobeyed direct requests from his former head coach, Brett Brown, that he take occasional 3-pointers. He made just seven attempts last season, but at least it was up from the six of the season before.

On the other hand, Simmons wasn’t taking those mid-range jump shots. In fact, he only took 16 mid-range jump shots all season long. In addition, 3-point shooting isn’t only about who takes the shot. Especially when your team has a number of talented shooters (which to be fair, the Sixers don’t at this point), creating those 3-point opportunities is just as important.

Last season, even on this anti-shooting team that took the 11th-fewest 3-pointers in the NBA at just 31.6 per 100 possessions (the Rockets took 43.3), Simmons created plenty of opportunities for his teammates.

In fact, only Luka Doncic (244) and LeBron James (234) had more 3-point assists last season than Ben Simmons’ 226, and both of them played more games at a respective 61 and 67, compared to the 57 games Simmons played. So while he doesn’t seem like the kind of player that Morey would best be able to work with, there are some building blocks there. He isn’t the Harden of the equation, but what my theory presupposes is: Maybe he’s the Russell Westbrook?

Not just Russell Westbrook, mind you, but a variation of the archetype that also has discipline with regards to the kind of shots he takes. Westbrook is perhaps the least self-aware player in the NBA when it comes to shot selection, while Simmons is probably the most self-aware. And Simmons is a better pure playmaker on top of it all.

In fact, simply running a functional offensive system for basically the first time in Simmons’ NBA career will go a long way. Total 3-point shooting output notwithstanding, none of his teammates are especially shy from behind the arc, between Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Al Horford.

Unleashing Simmons as a transition and halfcourt playmaking maestro with unlimited green shooting lights for each of these players could revolutionize this team’s offense, all without sacrificing their occasionally brilliant defense.