Ben Simmons, Sixers discuss improved free throw shooting vs. Pistons
Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has always been one of the more talented players in the league, but obviously, he does have his flaws on the offensive end of the floor. Other than the jump shot, he does struggle from the foul line. He is shooting 62.9% from the line on 5.0 attempts.
On Saturday, Simmons did a terrific job of converting his attempts at the line finishing 10-for-12 from the line and he knocked down two clutch ones late to lead Philadelphia to a 114-110 win over the Detroit Pistons on the road. It showed his growth on that end of the floor and it is an important area of his game.
“I know I’m capable of getting to the rim and drawing fouls so I’m able to get to the line and getting 10 free throws up, I gotta be knocking them down,” said Simmons. “That’s tough in the late game, guys want to foul me they can go ahead and foul me. I have the confidence to step up and knock them down especially late games.”
Tobias Harris acknowledged Simmons after the win and the fact that it is going to be a big aspect of the team’s chances to win in the playoffs. There will be plenty of times when teams are going to intentionally foul Simmons and he will have to step up in those moments and knock them down.
“Late in the game, just having the confidence to knock those free throws down in a close game is big right now,” Harris said. “We’ll need that confidence from him throughout the whole year and to where we want to go. These are the moments that you build it and he’s putting in the work. He’s playing with some great energy for us.”
Simmons finished with 20 points on the night, but coach Doc Rivers is more impressed with his entire floor game. His ability to get to the line, his defense against Pistons star Jerami Grant, and his rebounding and distributing as well.
“When he plays the floor game, all the other stuff will happen,” Rivers said. “If you just score and he can’t do the floor game, I don’t know if that would be good for us either. We just need him to do both, stay aggressive, pick his spots, and I think he’s doing that. It’s just getting more and more comfortable.”
The Sixers will finish off their two-game road series with the Pistons on Monday in Detroit.
