Philadelphia 76ers: Why Ben Simmons should get more minutes at center

Let’s take a look at why the Philadelphia 76ers should give Ben Simmons more minutes at center for spells during games when Joel Embiid sits.

The Philadelphia 76ers organization is still answering questions about whether Ben Simmons needs to shoot threes to improve its offensive effectiveness. Head coach Doc Rivers said he isn’t worried about Simmons’ unwillingness to shoot when asked whether Simmons can create more open looks for the team by taking more jump shots.

But does Simmons need to take more jump shots for the good of the team? No, as Rivers can improve the team’s offense by separating Simmons from Joel Embiid. Philadelphia has been in the top-five in post-up possessions averaging 10.6 per game over the last four-plus seasons. The Sixers gave 76.4 percent of their post-ups to Joel Embiid as he averaged 8.1 per game.

Embiid was given these possessions because he thrived in the low post before entering the league. Embiid was second among all NCAA players in post-ups during the 2013-14 season as 49.5 percent of his possessions came from the post. Living in the post helped Embiid come in second in the points per possessions averaging 0.95 points per possessions.

Embiid’s low post success has transferred over into the NBA as he has shot 52.2 percent from the field on five attempts per game during his career. The field goal percentage helped him lead the league in post points per game as he is averaging 8.3 points, 34.5 percent of his scoring output.

Embiid’s low post success has forced Simmons to spend a significant amount of time off the ball. Unfortunately, Simmons has only taken 25 three-pointers throughout his career, converting 3 of those attempts. Consequently, defenders have ignored him when he is off the ball because they know he will not shoot.

Simmons’ unwillingness to shoot has contributed to 47.9 percent of Embiid’s field goals being contested attempts as he has averaged 8.2 per game. Despite the awkward fit, they have produced positive results for Philadelphia.

The team has shot 48.3 percent from the field on 41.5 attempts per game. The field goal percentage helped Philadelphia average 58.8 points during 23.3 minutes per game they shared the floor together since 2017.

Staggering Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid could pay dividends for the Philadelphia 76ers

However, history suggests that both players are more dangerous when paired with a shooter. JJ shot 41.5 percent from behind the arc before signing with Philadelphia on 4.4 attempts per game. Redick’s floor spacing ability helped the team convert 48.4 percent of their field goals on 46 attempts. The duo of Embiid and Redick helped the team score 62.8 points in 25.9 minutes per game.

On the other hand, Simmons has provided more team production when paired with Tobias Harris. Harris has a career shooting percentage of 36.6 percent from behind the arc on 3.6 attempts per game. Harris’ shooting ability has helped the team shoot 47.6 percent from the field since 2019 on  51.7 attempts. They scored 67.1 points during 28.1 minutes per game.

The Philadelphia 76ers would be better off staggering them more often as Simmons’ success without Embiid has a lot to do with getting more touches. One of Simmons’ best games came on January 20th, 2020, when Embiid was out with a torn ligament in his left ring finger.

He touched the ball 112 times against the Brooklyn Nets, a 26.3 percent increase from his career average. The touches allowed him to attack the basket 16 times, a 31.1 increase from the rest of his career. He made all of his five field goals generating 10 points, 29.4 percent of his scoring output against Brooklyn.

More importantly, the duo of Harris and Simmons had a big night helping the team shoot 49.1 percent from the field on 57 attempts. They scored 73 points in 30.4 minutes. Although the duo of Embiid and Simmons has provided good results, the team should get more production from them in a separate lineup.