The Philadelphia 76ers season has come to a close and the team has their scapegoat, Ben Simmons. It is not just the fact that Simmons passed up that one shot right under the basket, it is many things. Simmons only attempting three shots in the 4th quarter in a seven game series is an issue as well as overall fit with Joel Embiid. Due to these circumstances it appears that the 76ers are going to have to make a change in order to get over the hump, most believe it will be trading Simmons to shake up their roster a bit. This brings forth an interesting question.
Should the Cleveland Cavaliers make a play for Ben Simmons?
On the surface this seems like an instant knee-jerk reaction of yes. The Cavs are not a good team and finding a way to improve with young talented players is a good way to turn things around. Through four seasons (five total) Ben Simmons averages 15.9 points and 7.7 assists per game. Adding this production to what expects to be a foundation of Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, and Darius Garland or Collin Sexton (whichever one is not traded), would be a boost. The fact of the matter is it is not quite that simple. There is no doubt that adding Simmons would raise the floor of the team, but does it raise the ceiling?
It is when examining the shot distances from Ben Simmons that some issues become apparent, not just for Simmons, but as a potential fit with some of the younger Cavs.
98.9% of Ben Simmons’ field goal attempts have come from two-point range. That would be a bit more palatable if 87.4% did not come from inside 10 feet. The issue at hand is that Simmons is a guard and he should be more of a threat from outside 10 feet. In fact, Simmons has only attempted 12.7% of his field goals in his career outside of 10 feet. The issue is not his conversion rate from up close, because no one would complain about 71.6% from inside three feet and 41.1% from three to 10. It is the location of these shots in conjunction with the Cavs current roster.
As currently constructed the Cavs have Jarrett Allen (pending RFA) and Isaac Okoro in the starting lineup. These are two players who not necessarily known for their offensive abilities at the current moment. While Okoro did develop a bit late last season, Allen is strictly an in the paint guy. Having two, potentially three players that an opposing team does not have to concern themselves with outside of 10 feet would be a massive problem for the Cavs. Perhaps saying it is a massive problem is taking it a bit lightly, it would be team building malpractice.
Part of the issue the team currently has with Collin Sexton is that there are not enough other legitimate shooters on the roster to go with his all dominant style of play. Possibly swapping out Sexton or adding Ben Simmons to a lineup with him would only the make the issue more prevalent.
Back to the question at hand, does Ben Simmons raise the Cavs ceiling?
While the addition of Ben Simmons could raise the ceiling, it wouldn’t be high enough to make a substantial difference by itself. If Cleveland could somehow acquire Simmons and someone like CJ McCollum and reshuffle the roster with players who are a bit more proven, that is when a real difference in terms of ceiling would be seen. As mentioned above, Simmons would certainly raise the floor of the Cavs, but the ceiling would not budge enough to warrant a move for just Simmons as things stand currently.
