According to multiple reports, Philadelphia 76ers’ point guard Ben Simmons spent this summer working out and tweaking the weak parts of his game. This especially goes for his jump shot, which was almost non-existent in his first two years in the NBA.
It turns out that spending the summer in the gym did not only did wonders to his ability to shoot the ball (if we are to believe numerous social media videos) but also had Simmons “fall in love” with basketball again.
“I feel like this summer I fell in love with the game again,” – the 23-year-old All-Star told The Associated Press. “I kind of got back to who I was and having fun with the game. I felt like the past season I lost that enjoyment side of it but I feel like this summer has been huge for me. Just the work I’ve been putting in, I kinda fell in love with putting that work in again and I’ve been in the gym every day working and the results have been paying off so I’m excited for the season to start.”
After winning the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018, Simmons earned his first All-Star appearance this past season while averaging 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. He also helped the 76ers advance to Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Due to this, and everything he does on the court, Simmons is lauded as one of the best young players in the game. Still, many NBA analysts believe that if he wants to take a step towards becoming a superstar, he will have to have a more reliable jump shot.
Simmons noted the criticism and is ready to act on it.
“I’m ready to be who I am as a player, continue to develop, keep working,” –he added. “It’s a process. It takes time. Obviously, people always want to see results straighta way but that’s not how things work.”
