Sixers' Ben Simmons Looking to Remain Aggressive After Win Over Mavericks
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons hasn't quite been the same player in the second half of the season on offense. While he's maintained his status as one of the league's top defenders since returning from the All-Star break, Simmons' scoring has been down, and he's been less aggressive on offense more often than not.
At this point, it's become clear that Sixers head coach Doc Rivers isn't going to force Simmons' hand and make the fourth-year guard become a scoring machine who takes jump shots and three-pointers consistently. Instead, Rivers recently defined the aggressiveness, which he wants Simmons to play with.
“I think him aggressive is (Ben) getting into the paint and creating plays," Rivers explained after Saturday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. "He can have an aggressive game for me where he doesn’t shoot a lot, but he was aggressive, and he used his speed. That’s what we want.”
When the 76ers returned to the floor in the following game against the Dallas Mavericks, Simmons continued to be an aggressive playmaker and had great balance throughout the matchup. In the 24 minutes he was on the court, Simmons collected eight points, seven assists, and two offensive rebounds. After the game, Simmons' head coach mentioned that's exactly what he wants to see from his point guard.
“I told him walking off the floor -- first of all, his attacks to the basket were not passive attacks,” Rivers explained. “They were aggressive attacks. He’s usually gonna lay it in, or you’re gonna foul him, and that’s what we’ve been trying. Not trying to get away from, but going through people. He did that [tonight].”
Simmons mentioned earlier in the year that his mindset plays a key part in his aggressiveness. Simmons has been hesitant to attack the basket in the past because his mental has held him back. This year, the veteran guard discovered what he could achieve on the court when he flips that switch. Now, he just has to keep it going.
“I just gotta keep doing it,” Simmons said. “Staying aggressive, play with force. A lot of times, I get a little hesitant with that depending on how the game is being called, but I got to bring that every game and start with that first quarter. It can’t be late.”
Rivers mentioned that Simmons "had perfect pace" throughout his limited time on the court Monday night, and he would like to see the All-Star build on that performance moving forward, starting with Wednesday's critical matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
