Sportress of Blogitude
NBA

Ben Simmons mocks report about possibly switching shooting hand

Jason Rowan
| August 15, 2018

Ben Simmons used an emoji and nothing else in a tweet to laugh off a recent report that he’s considering switching shooting hands.

The source of the latest speculation that the budding Philadelphia 76ers superstar could be considering a switch to being a right-handed shooter came courtesy of Marc Stein of The New York Times.

“Also remember: It’s August, people,” Stein wrote in a column published Tuesday that incidentally celebrated #LeftHandersDay. “Don’t get too heated here — not over this. If Simmons goes all righty this season, as some expect, we will adjust.”

Simmons has been known to use his right hand when messing around on the court or occasionally during games to shoot layups and the like. There’s also the fact that Simmons writes and eats with his right hand, among other things.

However, Simmons for all intents and purposes is a left-handed player. And for what it’s worth, Simmons was a 54.5 percent shooter from the field in 2016-17. However, Simmons missed every three-point shot attempted last season (0-for-11) and shot a woeful 56 percent from the free-throw line.

As noted above, Stein’s report merely is the latest time where it’s mentioned that Simmons could — or should — transition into a being a right-handed shooter. Philly sports-centric blog Crossing Broad has a thorough rundown on how such chatter has been going on for some time now.

All that said, Simmons made it abundantly clear on Twitter that such speculation does not merit discussion.

Simmons’ reaction came in response to a tweet from Dime Mag in which Stein’s story is covered on its site.

Enough said.