76ers’ Ben Simmons ends third 3-point career in Magic game

It’s New Years Eve and the bizarre year of 2020 does not go without a fight. Something wild was inevitable at the end of 2020, and Thursday’s NBA roster did not disappoint. For the third time in his career, Ben Simmons defied all our expectations and made another 3 points.

The game came with just over eight minutes left in the first quarter. The Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic were tied when Joel Embiid threw the ball into Simmons’ corner. Without any hesitation, Simmons went up for the shot. Rustling.

Don’t expect this to be the start of a trend. It was the first 3-point attempt of the season for Simmons, who is only 3 for 25 behind the arc for his career. Of those 25 attempts, 10 were considered pushes, meaning he attempts a 3-point run every 15 games or so.

Doc Rivers publicly backed Simmons on his refusal to shoot a 3, and at the start of the season he didn’t need one. Philadelphia is on track to reach a 4-1 record and Simmons has been among the best defensive players and distributors in the NBA. The version of him that can shoot would be unstoppable, but he’s perfectly effective even when he’s taking those shots intermittently. As fitting as a new attitude for the New Year would be, don’t expect Simmons to turn into Stephen Curry anytime soon.