Minnesota Timberwolves: Examining Ben Simmons’ potential fit on the Wolves

Ben Simmons’ offensive fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves

This is the side with a lot more questions. Simmons was a flat-out offensive liability in the playoffs because of the combination of his lack of aggressiveness and non-existent shooting. No matter how Simmons improves his game in the regular season, those doubts will persist until he proves he can perform in the playoffs.

Passing the rock is something Simmons absolutely can do, however. His 6.9 assists per game were good for No. 14 in the league last season, but perhaps more importantly, he ranked No. 11 with 18.6 points created through assists per game. That means his assists were going to efficient shots like threes and layups.

He’s at his best in transition. That’s perfect for the Wolves, who played at the fourth-highest pace last season according to ESPN. Imagine Simmons leading the break with Anthony Edwards on the wing and Towns trailing.

If the Wolves trade for Simmons, unlocking his aggression will be key. There’s evidence that playing with a paint-clogging big discouraged Simmons from doing what he does best: getting downhill and finishing at the basket. Simmons ranked in the top 20 in field goal percentage on drives in 2020-21 but was No. 62 in number of drives and No. 73 in field goal attempts on drives.

The idea here is that playing with an elite shooting big man in Towns will help Simmons permanently adopt an attacking mindset. In 68 career games in which Embiid didn’t play, Simmons averaged 17.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game on 55.2 percent shooting per StatMuse.

Those aren’t leading scorer numbers, but they’re impressive, and Simmons doesn’t need to carry the offensive creation load in Minnesota; that’s what Towns, Edwards and D’Angelo Russell (if they can keep him out of the trade package) are for.

Post-ups are another opportunity for the Wolves to build on what Simmons can do offensively. He’s a fine post scorer (0.96 points per possession, per NBA.com), but adding that to his passing could make him a real threat if the Wolves run solid off-ball actions such as the Warriors’ famous post split.

Put Simmons in Draymond Green’s post spot, let Towns and Russell run that Steph Curry-Kevon Looney action and see how defenses try to deal with that. Obviously, the Wolves don’t have shooting weapons like Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant, but they would have superior offensive big men in the action in Simmons and Towns.

But Simmons wouldn’t be on the trade block if everything was rosy. The smart bet is that he never becomes even a passable shooter, and if that is the case, Simmons needs to improve at a few role player skills to be even a net-neutral offensively.

Namely, he must improve his frequency and efficiency as a cutter and roll man. Simmons ranked 66th out of 72 players with at least 1.5 cutting possessions per game last season with 1.1 points per possession (PPP); it’s even worse coming off setting a pick, where his 0.87 PPP ranked 195th among 228 qualified players. Of course, these numbers don’t take Simmons’ passing prowess into account, but it’s not exactly reassuring if Simmons’ lack of efficiency comes from his passive mindset.

It’s a risk to trade significant capital for Simmons. It’s possible his absent shooting will always make him a liability in big moments. The key is Towns’ marksmanship. Teams can get away with playing a non-shooting hybrid big if the center can shoot — for example, the Bucks became a contender when they added Brook Lopez to provide Giannis Antetokounmpo with space.

Simmons will never be Giannis, but he has looked more aggressive and confident when given space to operate. If the Wolves trade for him, they’d look for something approaching Simmons’ performance against the Utah Jazz in February, when he dominated with Embiid out. Simmons showed how a skilled player can control the game without outside shooting, repeatedly scoring on Rudy Gobert at the basket, getting out in transition and operating the halfcourt offense as a passer and screener.

The bet here is simple: a former No. 1 overall pick is available and his team is selling low on him. He should be incredibly motivated after getting raked through the coals all summer and is a clear fit on your team, especially with your best player.

Let him focus on defending, playmaking, and attacking downhill, and we should see a much better Ben Simmons in 2021-22.