Ben Simmons can’t be on the court in the final minute of a game

Ben Simmons had a great overall performance in Game 1 against the Wizards, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out 15 assists and guarding both Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal at times, but he only scored 6 points and was terrible late in the game offensively. 

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He shot 3-9 on the game, which is not terrible, but he was 0-6 from the line and did not make a free-throw when the 76ers needed him too late in the game. Throughout his young career, Ben Simmons shooting struggles have been documented, specifically his free-throw shooting and Washington did a good job fouling him and sending him to the line instead of anybody else. 

In his career, Simmons has shot 59.7% from the free-throw line, which is why he should not be on the court in the final minute of a game. Defensively after a timeout, yes, Simmons should be in the game, but he should never have the ball in his hands because the Wizards will foul him, he will miss both of his free-throws and then Westbrook or Beal will push the ball in transition and try to get a quick basket at the other end of the court. 

The whole “hack-a-Shaq” idea revolved around Ben Simmons a year or two ago, before the NBA instituted the intentional foul rule, but nonetheless, “hack-a-Ben-Simmons” still exists late in games and is extremely efficient in terms of having him miss free-throws. 

Having Ben Simmons on offense with under a minute to go in a game is completely useless other than the fact that he can get occasional offensive rebounds. Other than that, he is going to miss free-throws and be a non-factor in terms of scoring the basketball, which is why Shake Milton or George Hill need to be in the game instead.