Ben Simmons' HS Coach Believes 76ers Star's Shooting Struggles Are 'Mental'

Kevin Boyle, Ben Simmons' high school coach at Montverde Academy in Florida, said he believes the Philadelphia 76ers star's struggles from the free-throw line are "more a mental thing than physical thing."

Simmons has endured long-term issues from the charity stripe, making just 59.7 percent of his attempts across four NBA seasons, but the problem became even more prominent during the 2021 playoffs as he made only 25 of his 73 free throws (34.2 percent).

Boyle explained Friday on the Takeoff with John Clark podcast (via Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia) the three-time All-Star was a solid free-throw shooter coming out of Montverde, but something changed with his stroke early in his time with Philadelphia:

"I think it's more a mental thing than physical thing. I know there's some things that have to be cleaned up there. I thought his shot was pretty good coming out of high school. He had a slight slant to the left, but very slight. And when he first got to Philly, I don't know what really happened, but his form changed—really, technically not correct—I think maybe trying to straighten him out too much with his arm, ended up opening his arm up. It didn't look good, and I think he lost confidence—the way it appeared, and also the result."

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers explained during the team's postseason run that Simmons' inability to make shots from the line left him little choice but to look elsewhere late in games.

"When Ben makes them, we get to keep him in," Rivers told reporters during Philly's second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. "When he doesn't, we can't. And that's just the way it is."

Simmons added: "Obviously, I've got to knock down free throws. I've got to step up and do that."

The 24-year-old LSU product made just four of his 14 free-throw attempts in a Game 5 loss to the Hawks, and he was noticeably less aggressive attacking the rim over the final two games of the series, including a sequence late in Game 7 where he appeared to pass up a wide-open dunk or layup.

Philadelphia was ultimately eliminated by Atlanta with a 103-96 loss in Game 7, and speculation about Simmons' future has popped up in the week since the playoff exit.

Boyle suggested to Clark that Simmons' team should put him on a "shot quota," where he must attempt a certain number of shots each game and maintain a level of "accountability" until he makes the necessary strides to maintain his offensive aggressiveness and improve at the line.

"I think there's no consequence if you don't do what they're asking," Boyle said. "And to me, the consequence is you're going to shoot or you're not going to start the next game—or you're not going to start the half."

The Montverde coach added he's still confident in his former player's long-term outlook despite the lingering flaws in his game.

"I'm very, very confident he'll be a star player, and a 10-time All-Star, and a three-time first- or second-team All-Pro, and have a championship ring," Boyle said. "I'm very confident in that. He's just too talented."

Simmons is one of the NBA's most impactful two-way players, but his struggles from the free-throw line and from beyond the three-point line will remain key talking points until he fixes the issues or helps lead a team to a championship.