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After displaying some hesitance to shoot the ball from the mid-range against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, top pick Ben Simmons made sure to show it off in Sunday's 83-70 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Simmons took three jump shots in the first quarter, all of which rattled in and out of the rim, but he continued to let it fly, eventually finding some success.
Simmons jumper looking smoother as the game goes on. Now up to 18 points. https://t.co/7aDwSMbp5B
— Jake Pavorsky (@JakePavorsky) July 11, 2016
"You guys have all questioned whether or not he's gonna look to take [jump shots], and tonight he took them," head coach Lloyd Pierce said. He kept shooting, he kept attacking and he seemed to get a little bit of confidence." He finished the game with a game high of 18 points on 7-12 shooting, and at one point in the fourth quarter scored eight points in a row.
"I take what they give me," Simmons said about his preference to shoot more Sunday. "Usually when I get to the rim guys are cutting. I think today it was more about me taking shots. They allowed me to shoot the ball, so I took advantage.
Simmons also did a quality job defending Chicago Bulls power forward Bobby Portis, and the two battled hard throughout the game.
"We bumped heads a few times. I felt the challenge, I went back at him. It's all in the competitive spirit, so I enjoyed that," Simmons said about his duel with Portis, who was limited to just 8 points on 4-12 shooting.
Although Simmons played well, the rest of the Sixers team seemed to struggle after last night's tight loss to Los Angeles.
"A lot of dead legs," Simmons admitted. "We play 82 games in a season, so this is nothing. We've got to be ready for the next game, and I think we'll be better prepared."
Philadelphia takes on the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night before summer league playoffs begin.