As the 2019-20 NBA Season approaches, the dog days of summer are among us. Gone are the trade talks and free agent news as players around the league gear up for the upcoming season. While fans patiently await their arrival, players continue to leave us tidbits of their offseason progress with workout videos. Ben Simmons, a player who’s shooting range has be questioned throughout his career, can be seen working on his game in the video below, courtesy of Swish Culture.
The offseason workout video, similar to the video above, has become a social media pastime as trainers and players team up to show us what they have been working on.
Offseason drill camps are not a new trend to the basketball world, but the vaunted “edited clips” of those workouts have been the wave for the past few offseasons. You can watch most of these edited videos via Instgram or Twitter, showing us all the makes and none of the misses.
Could these videos be all clout and no substance, or could they be precursors of what to expect this season from certain players?
As in the case of Ben Simmons, he stands the most to lose from videos of his updated jumpshot. More exposure means more pressure in the age of social media, but with a new max extension under his belt, it seems Simmons is ready for the challenge.
With the departures of Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick, the Philadelphia 76ers will need more shooting and spacing to accommodate the addition of Al Horford to their starting lineup. The 76ers also combated those key losses with their re-signing of Tobias Harris, and acquiring Josh Richardson via the Miami Heat in the three-team trade that involved Butler.
At this moment, we are unaware of the Sixers offensive strategy with head coach Brett Brown, due to the changes in their personnel. Last season, they relied heavily on ball movement, the high-action weave at the top of the key, and dumping the ball off to Butler late in the shot clock during the playoffs. With Butler and Redick’s departures, they can no longer rely on those two safety valves to keep the floor open for Simmons to roam free.
The hopeful improvement of Simmons’ jumpshot relies heavily not only on his mechanics, but more so his confidence and opportunity through the Sixers offense. Simmons is already a multi-talented player, and the threat of a new mid-range shot would only improve his team’s chances of an NBA Finals run.
With preseason around the corner, coupled with his recent max extension, all eyes will be on Simmons’ new jumpshot package. He declined the opportunity to play for Australia in the FIBA World Cup, opting to work on his game instead.
Fans and his fellow peers have been mimicking his reluctance to shoot outside the paint, but we can’t say he has not been serious about expanding his range this summer.
Photo Credit: Mitchell Leff, Getty Images
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