Yahoo Finance Ben Simmons hits 1st 3-pointer of his NBA career
A professional basketball player making a routine 3-pointer generally doesn’t constitute news.
When Ben Simmons does it, stop the virtual presses.
The Philadelphia 76ers point guard notorious for the massive hole in his game that is his shooting stroke set up in the corner in a halfcourt set early during Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks.
Furkan Korkmaz, running the offense from the top of the key, delivered a bounce pass to Simmons as the shot clock ticked under 10 seconds.
Simmons, standing wide open — because why would anybody bother guarding him there? — caught the pass and immediately launched a shot from beyond the 3-point line.
No chance for Mitchell Robinson
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson closed in from the post to try to defend the shot. But it was too late. History was made. Simmons’ shot hit the bottom of the net, and Robinson’s helpless left hand will forever be a footnote in this historic NBA moment.
Will Simmons keep shooting?
The 3-point attempt was the first this season from Simmons, who hinted during the offseason of working on his shot with videos of his work from the gym. He vowed in the preseason that “if it’s open, I’ll take it.”
It was open. He took it.
It was his 18th attempt in the third season of his NBA career.
Whether this becomes a more regular occurrence is yet to be seen. Simmons’ skillset is unprecedented. But his shooting woes have marked a glaring weakness in an otherwise potent offensive game.
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