Why a Ben Simmons trade would make the Boston Celtics worse

The Boston Celtics have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the services of Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons. Shams Charania of The Athletic (subscription required) reported on November 8th that the Celtics touched base with the 76ers a few days ago to gauge the asking price for Simmons.

However, Philadelphia supposedly responded that Boston would have to give up Jaylen Brown to acquire Simmons. Let’s take a look at why acquiring Ben Simmons would make the current Boston Celtics situation worse right now

A Ben Simmons trade would make the Boston Celtics worse

At first glance, the Celtics’ desire to acquire Ben Simmons seems like a good idea, as they would get a chance to pair Jayson Tatum with another superstar caliber player. However, acquiring Ben Simmons wouldn’t make the team better in the immediate future, as he only compounds their current issues.

Boston is currently struggling to make shots from the perimeter due to their offensive system and roster construction. They are spending nearly a quarter of their possessions in either isolation or pick and rolls, averaging 12.2 and 14.4 possessions per game, respectively.

When they are running either of these offensive sets, the team usually has at least three players standing behind the three-point line to give the ball handler optimum space to operate.

For example, Tatum stood at the top of the key midway through the third quarter of a home game against Washington. He stayed there until Brown passed him the ball. Once Brown did that, he went over a Robert Williams screen to attack the basket.

As he drove to the basket, three Washington players were in his vicinity. Despite this, Tatum didn’t kick the ball out for a wide-open three because Dennis Schroder and Marcus Smart both shoot below 35 percent from behind the arc for their careers. Tatum chose to end the possession by making a contested layup.

These two individuals aren’t the only players who have struggled to shoot from behind the arc, as the Boston Celtics currently have seven players on the roster who shoot below 35 percent from deep.

The lack of shooting on the roster has led to opposing teams leaving these players wide open on offensive possessions. 85.7 percent of the Celtics’ three-point attempts have been uncontested this season, and they are averaging 33 open three-point shots per game.

Unfortunately, the team has only converted 34.8 percent of these shots. Boston’s inability to make open threes has been the catalyst for them being 20th in three-point percentage over the first nine games, shooting 33.2 percent on 38.5 attempts. The team’s three-point shooting issues have dragged down the offensive field goal percentage, too, as three’s account for 42 percent of their total shots.

Consequently, they are currently 24th in the league, shooting 43.3 percent from the field on 91.7 shots per game through the first 10 outings. Simmons would only make these problems worse as he has made only five threes in four seasons on 34 total attempts. Consequently, opponents would leave him wide open, just as they do most Celtic players, unless the C’sdecides to make him the primary ball-handler.

Ben Simmons is a player who has excelled in transition throughout his career, averaging five possessions per game in his first four seasons. He has shot 62.6 percent during these possessions on 2.7 shots per game. The field goal percentage has allowed him to average 4.2 points in transition – 26.4 percent of his total production.

Unfortunately, accentuating Simmons’ strengths would force Tatum to sacrifice some of his game, as he would be playing mainly off the ball. Tatum has been a player who likes to isolate. He spends 16.2 percent of his possessions in isolation averaging 3.6 per game.

Consequently, a trade for Ben Simmons would not only make the Celtics’ issues worse right now, but it would also take Jayson Tatum out of his comfort zone.