Sixers' Ben Simmons Drills a Three-Pointer vs. Magic on Thursday

Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons has taken a lot of heat over the years for his lack of a jump shot. Despite there being tons of evidence of Simmons having a decent shot, the veteran guard tends to avoid pulling up and shooting outside of the paint more often than not.

Last season, Simmons said that if he were open to shoot a three-pointer, he'd take it. Nobody believed it until they saw him launch one during the first preseason game of the 2019-2020 season. Simmons didn't consistently shoot threes last year as promised, but he did make a couple when he played the Cavaliers and the Knicks.

This year, we haven't seen anything too different about Simmons offensively through the first four games. On Thursday, though, he decided to put up an early three-pointer in the battle on the road against the Orlando Magic -- and Simmons' shot was nothing but net from deep.

And there it is.@BenSimmons25 | #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/Yzb5QlIaI9
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 31, 2020

While the three-point shot is a popular topic among NBA fans and media, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made it clear he isn't going to force Simmons to shoot the shot. Instead, he wants Simmons to play his game freely and comfortably.

Heading into Thursday night's game, Simmons is averaging 14.3 points-per-game in an average of 32 minutes of action. It's still early on in the season, so a lot can change over time. But so far, Simmons' offensive value has been slightly underwhelming thus far. Perhaps, that will change as the fourth-year guard continues to grow his game.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_