NBA: Off-season weakness each star should have worked on

30. Ben Simmons, G/F, Philadelphia 76ers – Scoring aggression

Ben Simmons has been at the center of attention this offseason, as he and the Philadelphia 76ers both trip over themselves to take credit for trying to get him traded out of Philly. At the time of writing he has reported to the team but it is not yet clear when and if he will suit up for the 76ers again.

Simmons is an incredibly talented player, one of the league’s five or ten best playmakers and defenders. In the open court or in a spaced-out context he can score at a solid clip. In the more compacted setting of playing alongside Joel Embiid, there is less room for Simmons to operate.

That is why he needed to spend the offseason working on his scoring aggression. Simmons refuses to shoot 3-pointers until and if he feels completely comfortable, and likewise when he gets in his own head about his poor foul-shooting he stops looking to score and instead looks to pass. Draymond Green is reluctant to score because he genuinely is looking for the best pass at all times; Simmons seems to get reluctant because he is afraid to be fouled.

The ultimate example came in the 76ers’ Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in last season’s playoffs, when he hot-potatoed’ an open layup. “The Pass” as John Hollinger has coined it is forever etched in the memories of basketball fans. To help erase that perception, in Philly or elsewhere, Simmons has to become a more aggressive scorer and punish teams who look to capitalize on his passive approach.