Contrary to Popular Belief, Simmons is Working This Offseason

Every offseason, there are always significant questions surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers' two All-Stars. For Joel Embiid, the question has been whether he'll get in shape or not for the upcoming season. For Ben Simmons, it's will he work on his shot and apply it in a game setting consistently.

During the 2020-2021 NBA season, Embiid answered his question. While he failed to stay fully healthy throughout the year as he dealt with a handful of injuries, Embiid changed his entire fitness regimen and diet to ensure his body was in the best shape it could be. For the things he could control, Embiid did everything he could.

As for Simmons, the question mark surrounding his shooting still very much exists. Attempting just ten three-pointers in 58 games, Simmons continues to have a lack of range on the floor following year four. Not only is he still avoiding taking mid-to-long range jump shots, but Simmons was also even less aggressive attacking the basket this past season, which resulted in him averaging a career-low of 14.3 points per game.

Following an extremely disappointing second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, Ben Simmons is now on the Sixers' trade block. However, it's not a guarantee Simmons dons another uniform next year. While Philly will field offers for the three-time All-Star, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made it clear he'd like to work with Simmons in the offseason and had a set plan for him.

"I believe, without going into detail with what we're doing, I believe we know what the right work is, and the right type of work, and the right way to do it," Rivers said during his exit interview last month. "After being here for a year, I really do believe we've identified what and how, and now we have to do the do part. We have to work to do it. It's not going to be an easy job. But it's definitely a job that Ben can do." 

When the 2020-2021 NBA season concluded, many expected Simmons to get right back to work on the court, starting with him joining the Australian Boomers in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. As we know now, he took a different route.

Withdrawing from the Olympics, Simmons made it clear he wanted to focus on his personal development behind the scenes. But when a picture of him and a date at Wimbledon surfaced on the internet, fans believed the 24-year-old guard was doing everything but working on his game so far this summer.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, that's not the case, though. Per Scotto's recent league-wide news dump, Simmons has been in the gym working on his game. Recognizing that he's certainly not flawless on the court, the former first-overall pick is addressing his shooting concerns this offseason.

Will it make a difference? Only time will tell. While it's certainly believable that Simmons is working on improving his offensive skillset this summer, it won't make a difference until he applies it all in a game setting.

For several offseasons now, Simmons has shown he has the ability to expand his shooting range and hit shots consistently. However, when it comes to games, he shies away from taking gambles on the court. Knowing he's putting the work in to improve is definitely a positive sign. Still, it's difficult to buy stock in Simmons' ability to actually improve his game on the court until he shows he's willing to apply it all in a game.

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