Ben Simmons finally shoots threes: 76ers coach warns the rest of NBA

The Australian successfully upgraded his game during the coronavirus pandemic.

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons is one of the league's top playmakers. He dishes out 8.2 assists per game, which ranks him 5th in the NBA. Simmons is a great penetrator and a decent rebounder. One thing he doesn't do is shoot three-point shots. That changed in last Friday's scrimmage ahead of the NBA 2019-2020 season restart.

It took three seasons before Simmons finally made a career three-point shot. This season, he only attempted 6 after playing a total of 54 games. But during the 76ers scrimmage game against the Memphis Grizzlies last Friday, he made 1 out of 2.

Simmons posted 9 points in 4 of 9 shots (including 1 of 2 from beyond the arc), plus nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals in 22 minutes. It was an excellent game for the young point guard in the 76ers'' 90-83 win over the Grizzlies.

What stood out for everyone is his 50% three-point average for the evening. For a player who attempted only 23 three-point shots in his entire three-year career, Simmons fired two and made one in Friday's game.

According to The Sixer Sense, the league should get used to it.

The 76ers supported Simmons and helped him gain confidence in shooting ranged shots. His lack of attempts is a clear case of the young player knowing his weakness and avoiding it. It's a weakness that's well-known across the league, but not for long it seems.

While there are a lot of star players throughout history with weak three-point shooting. None of them is a point guard. Fundamentally, a point guard should be an outside threat to help spread the defence when he arrives at half-court with the ball to set up the offence. This is a skill pushed to the extreme by two-time MVP Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors point guard, becomes a scoring threat the moment he is 30 feet away from the hoop.

76ers coach Brett Brown warns the NBA that Simmons has gone through a "mindset" change, and is now confident enough to shoot at a distance. It's a warning to the rest of the league.