[ad_1]
Ben Simmons’ poor free-throw shooting was a storyline in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 122-114 Game 4 loss to the Washington Wizards, which extended the first-round series to a Game 5. The Wizards turned to a Hack-a-Ben strategy in crunch time, with Simmons splitting a pair of free throws three times in a row and ultimately going 5-of-11 from the foul line for the game.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers lashed out at the notion that he would consider benching Simmons during a time like that, expressing confidence in his player. Rivers didn’t like the narrative surrounding Simmons and talked about all the other things the star does well on the court.
Sixers president Daryl Morey took to Twitter late Monday night to deliver some similar sentiments:
There is no such thing as a stupid idea. Just stupid people who have ideas.
— Daryl MorΞy ?? (@dmorey) June 1, 2021
live look at the device used by “analysts” tonight coming up with narratives for the game pic.twitter.com/y6KD6BFB7t
— Daryl MorΞy ?? (@dmorey) June 1, 2021
Simmons’ struggles with his shooting have been a talking point basically since he came into the NBA. While he does indeed do many things well, including on the other side of the ball, his inability to shoot during play and at the line has been an issue at times.
Simmons played a key role in the Sixers’ dominance through the first three games of the series, but he didn’t exactly step up Monday in the wake of Joel Embiid’s knee injury. Simmons had 13 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes. He only took five shots and dealt with a bit of foul trouble, which limited him to those 25 minutes.
As for the free throws, Simmons is now 5-of-20 from the line in the series. That’s obviously much worse than his 61.3% mark for the season and 59.7% career mark, but it’s not like those numbers are any good. It’s a clear weakness in his game and something that will continue to be talked about moving forward.
If the Sixers and Wizards are in another close one in Game 5, don’t be surprised to see Hack-a-Ben deployed again.
[ad_2]
Source link
