It’s New Year’s Eve and the bizarre year of 2020 will not end without a fight. Something wild was inevitable when 2020 came to an end, and Thursday’s NBA slate did not disappoint. For the third time in his career, Ben Simmons defied all our expectations and made another three-pointer.
The game lasted a little over eight minutes in the first quarter. The Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic were tied when Joel Embiid kicked the ball into the corner after Simmons. Simmons climbed for the shot without a doubt. Swish.
Do not expect this to be the beginning of a trend. It was the first three-point effort of the season for Simmons, who is only 3-for-25 behind the arc in his career. Of the 25 attempts, ten were considered qualifiers, meaning he tries one three-pointer every 15 games.
Doc Rivers publicly supported Simmons over his refusal to shoot 3s, and early in the season he did not need it. Philadelphia is well on its way to a 4-1 record and Simmons was one of the best defensive players and distributors in the NBA. The version of him that can shoot would be unstoppable, but he is completely effective, even if he takes the shots occasionally. As fitting as a new attitude would be for the new year, do not expect Simmons to become Stephen Curry anytime soon.