NBA: Mike Conley and 4 other starters struggling to start 2019-20
5. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Entering his third season the NBA, Ben Simmons is expected to be a big key in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ push for a run at the East Conference title.
The former No. 1 draft pick set tongues wagging as videos emerged of him drilling 3-point shots over the off-season, including one in a preseason game in Philadelphia. Many observers started to think maybe he had ironed out the major flaw in his game, having not hit a single 3-pointer through his first two NBA seasons. This also possibly meant that Simmons could take his game to the next level and continue to develop.
So far, Simmons has not shown any signs of improvement in the 2019-20 NBA season.
Across the 2018-19 season, Simmons averaged a solid 16.9 points per game from the point guard position. So far in his 14 starts this season, this number has dropped to an average of 14.1 points per game. His shooting has remained consistent from close range, converting around 60 percent from 2-point range but other facets of his shooting have failed to improve.
Still reluctant to shoot from distance, Simmons finally took (and made) his first 3-point shot this season on Wednesday night. On top of this, the Australian’s free throw conversion rate was an unreliable 60 percent during his 2018-19 campaign. Remarkably, that number has dropped further, averaging just under 59 percent through his first 14 games this season.
After losing Jimmy Butler over the offseason to the Miami Heat, the 76ers were looking to Simmons to help produce more of the offensive end. So far this season, Simmons has disappointed with his poor shooting form and undeveloped jump shot, actually averaging the least points per game of any Philadelphia starter.
Other assets of Simmons game have also dropped to start the 2019-20 season.
After averaging 8.8 rebounds per game last season, Simmons is only pulling down six rebounds each game on average to start this campaign. This is partially due to having both Joel Embiid and Al Horford in the starting line-up, but still shows a significant drop from last season in this category.
Simmons assist numbers have also dropped steadily from his rookie season in Philadelphia. During the 2017-18 season, Simmons averaged an impressive 8.2 assists per game as a rookie which then dropped to an average of 7.7 each game last season. To start the 2019-20 season, the number has dropped again slightly to an average of 7.5 assists per game this season but this is still a solid contribution from the Point-Guard.
The 76ers have slumped over the past couple of weeks also. After getting off to the perfect 5-0 start, Philadelphia then dropped five of their next nine games and currently sits as the No. 5 seed in the East Conference. They are currently only averaging 109.8 points-per-game, ranked 17th in the entire NBA.
Simmons is only young, and the season is long which gives him plenty of time to work on his game but come playoff time, the Guard needs to be contributing more for his team. Simmons needs to be reliable and consistent on both ends of the floor and help Embiid lead the 76ers on a deep playoff run.