NBA Shooting Coach Would ‘Love’ To Help Kings’ Simmons

Ben Simmons has gone viral again for his three-point misses, and it's caught Chris Matthews', aka Lethal Shooter, attention.

Matthews said he would love to spend the month with Simmons, rehabbing his jumper, a new skill that he's never trained.

"I would cancel everything I have on my schedule next month and move to Sacramento for bro," Matthews posted on X. "Real talk! I love helping others master The Art of Shooting."

The NBA shooting coach has worked with various players over the last several seasons: Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

He worked with Davis in the summer of 2019, following his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, and transformed his shot mechanics. Davis went on to shoot a blistering 49.6% from mid-range in the 2020 NBA Bubble playoffs and win his first ring next to LeBron James.

Simmons has a rough-looking shooting form. His left elbow flares out, bending his arm at nearly a 45-degree angle, which creates an awkward flick at release.

Matthews would break down the Sacramento Kings forward's mechanics to the basics and rebuild them from the ground up. Considering the 6-foot-10 forward never really honed his shooting skills, the famous shooting coach is challenging himself.

Adding a reliable three-point shot to Simmons' skill set would expand his offensive impact outside of his playmaking. He'd force defenses to respect him as a catch-and-shoot threat, maximizing Sacramento's floor spacing with Darius Acuff Jr. and Domantas Sabonis.

The idea of the 30-year-old developing a jumper sounds great, but he's likely reached his ceiling.

Simmons' role in Sacramento is serving as the bench's lead playmaker when Darius Acuff Jr. sits. The 6-foot-10 point forward has averaged 7.2 assists throughout his career, and around six assists in a reduced role.

He can grab-and-go, pushing the Kings into early fast-break offense. His lack of offense is a weakness, but Sacramento has enough talented scorers to mitigate that.

The 10-year veteran believes he can return to his prime form, as he did during his four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists across four seasons.

He earned Rookie of the Year in the 2017-18 season, made three consecutive All-Star appearances from 2018 to 2020 and made back-to-back All-Defensive First Team in 2019 and 2020.

Coach Doug Christie has praised Simmons as a standout at the Kings' training camp. He's looked healthy during camp and could build a case to start next season.

Simmons has gone viral for missing threes, but he's never needed them to excel in his career. His value has always been attached to his high-level playmaking and versatile defense.