One can easily make the case that Ben Simmons is the best NBA rookie since LeBron James.Averaging an All-Star caliber stat line of 17.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.9 assists over 36.6 minutes per game this year, Simmons has made a couple of things very clear.First, he validated Philadelphia taking him with the first overall pick in the 2016 Draft.Secondly, his game has a number of limitations. Although his numbers indicate otherwise, Simmons is incredibly raw on the offensive end of the floor, particularly in terms of his shooting stroke. Although he has incredible vision and is already an elite passer, he seemingly has no confidence shooting the ball.Although he’s shooting 50.6 percent, most of his shots come at or near the basket. Incredibly, he hasn’t hit a three-point shot all year, going 0-for-9 from deep. Although he has never been recognized as a shooter, his struggle to consistently take jumpers is a main reason why some believe that he has sky-high potential with a ceiling that we might not have ever seen before.If he becomes a respectable shooter, his numbers might be more similar to those of a created player on NBA 2K than an actual human being. After posting 19 points, 11 boards and nine assists against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, reporters asked Sixers coach Brett Brown about his young point guard’s night and he had a surprising answer.“The way that I see it is just how much growth he really has,” Brown said. “He really has an abundance of growth to make, and he will. … To think that he can put his signature on an NBA game like he does with so much room for improvement in some skill areas is exciting.”

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Enquirer, the team wants Simmons to work on finishing around the basket, converting free throw attempts, and taking rise-up jumpers away from the basket. Specifically, Pompey noted that the coaching staff wants him to come to two-foot jump stops and rise up for 15, 16 and 17 foot jumpers in games, even if he doesn’t consistently make them at first.

“It needs to happen,” Brown said. “You know it’s hard to impact NBA games [without attempting jumpers], and it’s especially hard to impact NBA playoffs … without those things.”

Simmons is shooting 54.9 percent from the charity stripe as of Tuesday night, indicating that he’s not even comfortable shooting the ball with no defenders to deal with.

If he expands his game, which he’s expected to do, Brown understands that Simmons could become one of the game’s most unstoppable players.

“You look at the stat sheet, knowing that those are the areas that are right around the corner,” Brown said of Simmons' shooting deficiencies. “Wow. Imagine when that happens. How do you guard him?”

On Tuesday, Simmons posted 13 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. Although he picked up his 18th double-double of the year and came up just one assist shy of his fourth triple-double for the second game of the row, the young point guard took just six shots in 32 minutes, knocking down five of them.

After the game, Brown was bewildered.

Since Joel Embiid missed his second game in a row with a back injury, it was a bit shocking that Simmons wasn’t more aggressive on the offensive end, especially since he took 18 shots in the previous game, also without Embiid on the floor. 

Nonetheless, he’s in the midst of an historic rookie season. In many ways, his deficiencies make him even more of an intriguing and exciting prospect. As the season rolls along, it will be interesting to see how his game develops.