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Point is, Ben Simmons helps 76ers when he's not scoring

LAS VEGAS – For a team to have success in today's NBA, it is imperative to have a great facilitator. The player has to be someone that makes things easy for teammates. He's also the general, the leader, and the quarterback on the squad.

LAS VEGAS – For a team to have success in today's NBA, it is imperative to have a great facilitator. The player has to be someone that makes things easy for teammates. He's also the general, the leader, and the quarterback on the squad.

In that regard, the 76ers just may be set with Ben Simmons.

There are some who believe that the first overall pick needs to shoot the ball more. Others point out that he needs to become more active when the ball is not in his hands.

While both are true, the Sixers aren't concerned. They know all that will come in due time. Right now, the focus is on the NBA summer leagues.

"First and foremost, it's let Ben be Ben," said Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce, who's coaching the summer-league squad.

Pierce acknowledges that Simmons has been reluctant to shoot the ball through three summer league games, the first two were in the Utah Jazz Summer League. That's been the criticism of him following the point forward's one season at Louisiana State University.

"That's not going to change overnight," Pierce said.

The Sixers have encouraged him to be aggressive and confident. Some of that has to do with his shooting.

"But really, just let him play his game," Pierce said. "Then we will start working on different areas of his development as the summer comes along."

Simmons attempted just eight shots, making three, in Saturday's 70-69 setback to the Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center. He finished with eight points to go with game highs of 10 rebounds, eight assists, and seven turnovers.

He was shooting 28 percent (7-25) in his three summer-league appearances heading into Sunday night's matchup against the Chicago Bulls. The 19-year-old only shot the ball nine, eight, and eight times in those three games.

However, he still made a huge impact.

That's because the Australian native makes teammates better with his passes. In each game, he had at least two passes that left fans in awe.

One of Saturday's highlights came when he drove the lane and fired a no-look bounce pass to a cutting Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. The Sixers 24th pick caught the ball underneath the basket before converting a reverse layup.

"To me that's the most unselfish, and probably the biggest strength of his game is the fact that he loves [passing] the ball and making players play well," Pierce said.

That's why no one is complaining about Simmons' shooting shortcomings and reluctance to shoot from the outside at this point. He makes teammates better when the ball is in his hands. So far, Simmons and point guard T.J. McConnell have been a solid summer-league ballhandling combination.

His being on the floor puts Nik Stauskas in a great spot. The shooting guard can just spot up at the three-point line while Simmons maneuvers with the ball. The Sixers believe that will get Stauskas a lot of shots.

They believe that same thing will happen with Jerami Grant, an athletic forward who can get to the rim.

"Ben is a guy that's going to have the ball in his hands," Pierce said. "T.J. is a guy that is going to have the ball in his hands.

"We want to reduce the roles of the other guys and put them in positions where they can excel."

That's why it's imperative to have a great facilitator like Simmons. That's also why the Sixers can live with his shortcomings for the time being.

kpompey@phillynews.com

@PompeyOnSixers

www.inquirer.com/Sixersblog