Scottie Pippen: Fear of 'Being Humiliated' Separates Ben Simmons from Giannis
Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen believes he has pinpointed one key difference between Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
In an interview with Tyler R. Tynes of GQ, Pippen noted Antetokounmpo has no fear of "being humiliated" by some of the weaknesses in his game, while Simmons will avoid showing his weaknesses at all costs.
"That's his weakness: shooting the basketball," Pippen said. "If you take that away from Ben Simmons, he got no weakness. That's Giannis' weakness, too. But, Giannis don't mind being humiliated. That's the difference between him and Ben Simmons. Giannis will go to the free-throw line and shoot two f--king airballs and come right down the court the next time and try and dunk on you. If Ben Simmons miss a free throw, he gonna start passing it before he get to the free-throw line on the other end."
Simmons has been criticized throughout his NBA career for either being unable or unwilling to shoot the basketball, especially away from the rim.
Per a January study from Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype.com, the average distance of a Simmons shot during his career has come 4.49 feet away from the rim.
"Among all active perimeter players, that ranks as the shortest distance—and it’s not even close," Kalbrosky wrote. "Behind him is David Nwaba, whose career average shot distance is 7.34 feet."
Simmons' shooting woes appear to have reached a boiling point for the Sixers and their fans this postseason. He only attempted three field goals during the fourth quarter of their second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, with none in the final four games.
The 24-year-old's free-throw shooting struggles also reached a new low in the playoffs as the career 59.7 percent foul shooter went 25-of-73 from the line in the postseason, good for just 34.2 percent.
In the decisive Game 7, Simmons passed up a wide-open layup opportunity at the basket with the 76ers trailing 88-86 late in the fourth quarter. He gave the ball to Matisse Thybulle, who missed his attempt with two Hawks players around him.
Joel Embiid told reporters after Philadelphia's 103-96 loss on Sunday that the turning point of the game was when "we had an open shot and we made one free throw and we missed the other and then they came down and scored."
By comparison, Antetokounmpo has been more than willing to take an open shot from anywhere on the court if the opposing team is giving it to him. The Bucks star has averaged at least 2.8 three-point attempts per game in each of the past three seasons, despite making just 29 percent of them during that span.
While there's certainly an argument that Antetokounmpo is actually helping opponents by settling for a three instead of using his strength and size to drive to the basket, his willingness to shoot has occasionally led to positive results for the Bucks.
The Sixers, on the other hand, are entering another offseason in which they have to answer questions about Simmons' ability to be the point guard for a potential championship team and if he will be back with the team next season.
