Simmons Foul Shooting
It certainly doesn’t generate the same type of excitement as his punishing runout dunks, or his smooth, disruptive switchability on defense, but it’s something that most definitely is vitally important.
Three games into the 76ers’ Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series against the Miami Heat, the following, noteworthy development has started to emerge:
Ben Simmons is making headway at the free throw line.
This is no accident, and, to hear Brett Brown talk about the subject, no small detail, either.
“There’s no minutiae to that,” Brown told reporters Friday at American Airlines Arena, where 14 hours earlier, the Sixers had knocked off the Heat, 128-108. “I completely pay attention to that, and so should you all.”
In Thursday’s victory, which vaulted the Sixers ahead in the series, 2-1, a significant component of Simmons’ 19-point output was his 7 for 8 performance from the free throw line.
Only five times in the regular season did Simmons sink at least seven foul shots. He took eight attempts or more on just 12 separate occasions.
Earlier in the series, the Aussie went 7 for 10 from the line in Game 1, then 4 for 6 in Game 2. On the heels of his steady Game 3 showing, he’s now a combined 18 for 24 the stripe versus Miami.
“Seventy-five percent, it’s good,” Simmons said Friday, before the Sixers conducted practice. “I’ve just been focusing on being able to step up and make free throws for my team, because I know I’m going to the line a lot. If I can knock down free throws and get those extra points, it’s going to help the team a lot.”
A 56.0 percent free throw shooter in the regular season, Simmons and the Sixers sensed that, come the Playoffs, opposing teams might be more inclined to send him to the line, and make him earn his points there, rather than give him a chance to do damage attacking the basket.
So, Simmons and Sixers shooting coach John Townsend (pictured below, left) decided to “get ahead of the story,” to borrow an oft-used Brown phrase. In recent weeks, the duo began putting more and more manhours into the rookie’s foul shooting.
The hunch was a good one. Simmons shot free throws at a rate of 4.5 attempts per 36 minutes in the regular season. That figure has jumped up to 7.6 in the Playoffs.
“I think John Townsend has done an excellent job with him as our shooting coach, trying to get him focused and more reps prior to the Playoffs,” said Brown. “I give Ben Simmons a lot of credit, because he’s invested time.”
Like late at night at the Sixers’ training complex time. When no one else is at the facility time.
“It hasn’t happened by chance,” Brown said of Simmons’ progress.
Simmons’ desire to proactively work on his free throws has simple, logical origins.
“We always knew the Playoffs were coming up,” he said.
Of course, three games and 24 attempts a definitive, comprehensive sample size does not make.
But, as Brown pointed out, Simmons’ early reliability from the foul line has been beneficial to the Sixers’ immediate post-season cause. It could also end up portending positively for the big picture, too.
“We and he are reaping the benefit of that extra work,” said Brown.
Saric Surging
Here’s something new.
For the first time in franchise history, a 76er has tallied 20 points or more in the first three post-season appearances of his career.
His name is Dario Saric, and he’s averaged 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in Games 1 through 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
On top of that, the second-year Croatian forward has so far shot 47.8 percent from 3-point territory in the Playoffs, en route to knocking down 11 triples. The total is third-most among all post-season players.
Saric’s contributions were particularly valuable Thursday in Miami, where, following a 1 for 4 start from the field, he helped punctuate the Sixers’ strong finish. His 3-pointer and driving lay-up on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter widened the gap from five to 10 points with six minutes to go.
“We were ready,” Saric said of the Sixers’ Game 3 mindset, after they lost Game 2. He produced 21 points and four 3-pointers for the night.
While Saric might currently be making his first foray into NBA post-season basketball, he is by no means a stranger to high-stakes hoops.
During his stint as a pro in Turkey, Saric appeared in plenty of EuroLeague games of consequence. He’s also represented Croatia at the Olympics and in the EuroBasket tournament, respectively, the last two summers.
Brett Brown believes these opportunities have influenced Saric’s ability to have an impact on the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
“I know the environment he has played in, in FIBA Basketball,” Brown said Thursday, during his post-game press conference. “It is high level basketball. He was groomed since he was 14 years old to play basketball. All of those experiences have added up. He’s not fazed by the moment. You could see the passion he was playing with on the floor.”
Toughness Talk
If there’s one buzzword that’s come to be associated with the tone of the Sixers-Heat opening round playoff series more than any other, it’s got to be “physicality,” right?
All three games between the hard-fighting clubs have, for the most part, been gritty, fierce scraps. Aside from an outlying quarter here and there, the Sixers and Miami have played each other relatively even.
For some reason, and maybe it’s because the Heat overtly ramped up their intensity in Game 2, and won, Miami has been viewed by the more inherently tough team.
The Sixers, though, think they’ve got a pretty steely squad, too.
Consistent with remarks about the “physicality” factor the Sixers have made throughout the series, Simmons reiterated Friday that it’s important he and his teammates proceed with a certain degree of savviness.
“You just got to play smart. You can still be physical and play smart.”