Redick Weighs In on Simmons Shooting Hand

In the ongoing dilemma surrounding Ben Simmons’ shooting hand, JJ Redick has given his observations.

Talking about Ben’s shooting, Redick said the follow on his podcast:

“I think Ben’s form left-handed is worse than his form right-handed. But I’ve seen Ben’s improvement, and Ben has worked extremely hard with Lloyd Pierce, one of our assistant coaches, after pretty much every practice and every shootaround. Like he’s worked on his shot, and he’s gotten better. He’s not shooting set threes, but he does them in shootaround and I’m like ‘Oh they look good, they go in.’ There’s a potential there, I think, for both those guys [Ben and Markelle] to become good shooters. Do they need a jump shot? I think eventually, if they’re going to play heavy minutes together, one of them will need to be able to space the floor”

Redick went on to say that both Markelle and Ben want to be great players, rather emphatically. He also said that he has already suggested to Simmons that he change shooting hands. When asked how Ben responded, Redick kind of avoided a straight answer by saying, “Ben is receptive” and he seemed to be speaking more generally than about the suggestion itself.

My honest interpretation of whether or not Ben considered JJ’s advice is that he probably didn’t, just guessing of off Redick’s response to the very question. But only time will tell.

Ultimately, one of the most crucial parts of a competent jump shot is being comfortable and having confidence in the shot. I expect Ben to work tirelessly this offseason on his jumper, and if he decides he isn’t comfortable shooting right handed, it’s not going to happen.

You can listen to the podcast yourself and make your own interpretations. Redick begins discussing Simmons, and to a lesser extent Markelle, around the 48 minute mark.