Ben Simmons is one of the hottest topics in the NBA right now. Several months after his disappointing 2021 playoff, the Australian player is mentioned in various trade rumors, becoming the talk of the town.
Besides the trade rumors, fans, analysts, current and former players have addressed his lack of shooting skills and unwillingness to attempt mid- and long-range shots.
Everybody has something to say about this, and it seems like Simmons is listening to all the noise to expand his game. However, this happens every year. He posts a series of workout videos, gets people pumped, and then returns to his old version during the NBA season.
This has been the biggest issue with him on the Philadelphia 76ers, leading to an imminent split between the player and the franchise. More people offer their advice to Simmons by the day, and recently, one of the greatest shooters of all time chimed in on this situation.
Ray Allen joined The Rich Eisen Show, where he gave some tips to Ben. The 2x NBA champion made it clear that he needs to shoot from as many spots as possible since he won’t know where he’ll get the ball on the floor.
“Ben is such a young player with such a huge upside. The thing I know about shooting is I remember a time when I couldn’t shoot. So from that time till I got to college and then from there on in, I understood what it was that I did. Going forward, that was just work at it, just figure out. So I knew I covered every angle I could on the court because I knew at some point there was going to be a position I was going to be in and I didn’t want that to be a weakness.”
Simmons needs to work on it as much as possible, from every position and angle. That will make things easier for him and whichever his team is.
The point guard is a menace at the paint, a terrific playmaker, but adding a 3-point shot to his already-impressive repertoire will put him on a different level in the league.
Yet, it remains to be seen if all the offseason workout translates to success on the court this season. Allen knows a thing or two about shooting, so he must listen to the sharpshooter.
