3 ways Ben Simmons can improve without shooting threes

Philadelphia 76ers point forward Ben Simmons is already one of the most scrutinized players in the league.

Aside from the pointless debates about his rookie eligibility, Simmons catches the most flack for his inability to shoot. Last season, only 30 of his 544 field goals came from outside the paint, and he was one of six players who didn't make a single triple despite averaging over 30 minutes per game (the other five were centers). It's clear that Simmons can't reach his full potential until he develops a jumper.

But that's not the only way for Simmons to become a better player. After averaging 16-8-8 as a freshman while leading his team to 52 wins, here's how he could become an All-Star in his second season - even without learning how to shoot from distance.

Make those free throws

Simmons will always be a foul magnet because he's so powerful and aggressive off the dribble. According to tracking data, Simmons made 1,241 drives last season, which ranked third in the NBA behind only Russell Westbrook (1,501) and DeMar DeRozan (1,303).

He gets into the paint at will, but Simmons can't fully capitalize off his drives because he can't hit free throws. DeRozan scored 175 free throws off drives and Westbrook made 132, but Simmons totalled just 56. Ben's tally was even topped by his lesser namesame Jonathon, who made 73 free throws off drives while coming off the bench for months in Orlando.

That's partly because Ben Simmons is more of a playmaker than a scorer - so he's looking for the pass more than he's looking for the foul - but it also comes down to him shooting just 56 percent from the charity stripe. Simmons isn't looking for the foul because he won't make the freebies.

In fact, Simmons was so inconsistent from the line that he was perhaps the only guard in the league to be subjected to the dreaded "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy. Washington nearly completed a 24-point comeback by sending Simmons to the line 24 times in the fourth quarter during a game in November.

Simmons knows he's leaving points on the table with his wayward free-throw shooting, which is why it's been one of his main areas of focus this summer. He continues to dismiss the theory that he's shooting with the wrong hand, but he can still improve beyond making such a drastic change.

Here's a look at his form, which could use some work. Simmons' shooting hand is angled to the side and not fully beneath the ball, so he's essentially flicking it toward the rim. The even bigger issue is that Simmons stands straight on most of his free throws, and is largely only using his upper body for the shot, meaning there's little balance in his release and the trajectory is mostly flat.

Get comfortable in the post

Simmons patterns himself after LeBron James, who only became a complete scorer once he became consistent in the post.

James was forced to improve his post play after he was famously thwarted by the diminutive J.J. Barea during the 2011 Finals. To this day, James still comes short of graceful when he's operating in the post, but defenses can no longer get away with siccing a smaller defender on him. James has honed his footwork to get his shot off from every angle, he knows every fake in the book, and he's a deadly distributor who always finds the open shooter when teams double him. His post game has even elongated his prime, much like it did for Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

Simmons is only 22, but it's never too early to think about the future. Defenders will always back off to defend his drive, but Simmons was unable to step into the vacated space and operate effectively out of the post as a rookie. He averaged just 0.69 points per post possession and a quarter of his post-ups resulted in a turnover, which leaves plenty of room for improvement.

His post game is rudimentary at the moment, and he's only a threat to score within the restricted area. Simmons' first course of action is to take his man off the dribble for a layup, but if that fails, he only has a standard jump hook that isn't accurate outside of 5 feet. There's no threat of a turnaround jumper as a counter, so defenders just focus on keeping him away from the middle. He can overrun smaller guards, but Simmons has no answer for like-sized defenders who can hold their position.

(Courtesy: NBA Stats)

Simmons bulked up this summer after getting humbled by the Celtics in the playoffs. The added size should allow him to hold deeper post positions, which should translate to higher shooting percentages. More importantly, it should also stabilize his shot attempts. Simmons often contorted his body to go around his man when he couldn't overpower defenders, making for some awkward results:

Another useful development would be if Simmons develops his left hand. As of right now, he's predictable because he tries to finish with his right exclusively. This makes it even harder for him to sell fakes and to create separation because he can really only go in one direction.

Limit needless turnovers

Simmons was exceptionally polished after redshirting his first NBA season, but you could still spot some inexperience lurking within the small cracks in his game.

Philadelphia led the league in turnovers last season, and the team didn't start winning until it learned to value possessions. The main culprits were Joel Embiid and Simmons, who both had the same issue of forcing plays instead of making the right pass.

Overall, Simmons ranked eighth in turnovers per game last season, and a significant share of those mistakes could be attributed to him leaving his feet:

As a 6-foot-10 guard, Simmons shouldn't need to create passing angles by jumping. But to his credit, he did trim his turnovers from 3.7 to 2.9 per game after the All-Star break.

He also needs to get better at picking his spots. Philadelphia's offense is predicated on players moving off the ball, so it's important to have a precise passer running the show. Making the right pass is often just as important as making the shot itself, but there's a fine line between ambition and recklessness. Simmons has to exercise better judgment and avoid the temptation to always thread home-run passes through traffic:

Simmons was already a force to be reckoned with last season, as he was named Rookie of the Year and pushed his team to the second round of the playoffs. He won't realize his full potential until he develops an outside shot, but he could easily be an All-NBA-caliber player in 2018-19 if he cleans up these aspects of his game.