Watch: Simmons hits 22-footer for longest make of career
Ben Simmons knocks down the mid-range J! #NBAXmas#HereTheyCome 103#CUsRise 102
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2018
4:00 left on ABC pic.twitter.com/TVbDKgZGzH
For most NBA guards and forwards, hitting a mid-range jumper is business as usual. But for Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, it's kind of a big deal.
During Philadelphia's Christmas Day matchup with the Boston Celtics, the Aussie drilled a tough 22-footer over the outstretched arm of Gordon Hayward as the shot clock wound down midway through the fourth quarter.
That connection was the longest make of Simmons' young career, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. His previous long was a 21-footer against the Miami Heat last season, according to ESPN's Law Murray.
Simmons, the NBA's Rookie of the Year for 2017-18, was 0-for-11 from 3-point range in 114 regular-season appearances entering Tuesday's matchup with Boston, with the majority of those misses coming on long heaves.
2017-18 Shot Chart

2018-19 Shot Chart

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