Isaac
Years ago

Australians in NBA Playoffs: first round

76ers upset at home in the opening game hosting the Nets. Simmons 9/7/3 for -21. Bolden got 5 minutes for 2 points. Philly might be rattled now!

Bogut got all of 2 minutes off the bench against the Clippers. 3/1/1. GSW won.

Spurs upset the Nuggets despite a pretty sparse starting group. Mills had 4/2/3 and +7 in 21 minutes.

Bucks smacked Detroit. Maker had 4/4/0 in 22 minutes for -16; probably not quite the revenge game he would've dreamt of. (Drummond was -45 in his 26 minutes before getting ejected!)

Celtics handled Indiana. Baynes got the start and had 9 boards in 23 minutes.

Ingles hit just one shot in his 32 minutes in a 32 point loss to Houston. He had 4 boards and 5 assists though.

All up, besides Baynes on the boards, it's been a meagre impact from Australians so far. A nice upset for Mills at least.

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Hogwash
Years ago

Simmons the most disappointing I think.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Bogut to get a second nba ring, right place right time. Good luck to him, making up for all his injuries throughout his career.

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AngusH
Years ago

Unfortunately Simmons' inability to shoot is never going to be more exposed than in the playoffs.

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Young Gun
Years ago

"Unfortunately Simmons' inability to shoot is never going to be more exposed than in the playoffs."

So true.

I seriously don't understand how a guy can be at that level and not be able to shoot. Those guys get to practice so much, with world-class coaches. There were times when I could shoot it in social leagues, and what it came down to was the time spent in practice.

Don't know why Simmons doesn't have the mentality that he's better than his opposition & then find the ways he can exploit mismatches. Jimmy Butler doesn't die wondering when it counts.

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rjd
Years ago

I recall seeing Simmons shoot mid-range jumpers back in the U17 world championships when I think he was 15 years old. He shot 15/23 @65% from the foul line in that tournament. He even put up 7 3PAs, which is only notable because he shows he had the confidence to attempt those shots. Somehow it seems like his jumpshot mechanics have regressed, he's lost complete confidence in his jumpshot, and he appears to have nobody around him to really correct it. It seems odd that he is relying on his brother to fix his jumpshot. Surely the 76ers can provide more qualified shooting coaches.

Simmons seems psychologically sensitive, struggling in pressure moments, but the 76ers can't always coddle him. 7On the other hand, fans booing him after missing a free-throw is counter-productive. I expect him to be even worse at the free-throw line after that.

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Anonymous
Years ago

He can shoot, just not at a good percentage just yet.
Watch any of his high school tapes in the states, he attempts plenty of mid range shots and threes.
Shooting left handed was a mistake that was never fixed earlier in his development.

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Isaac
Years ago

He can shoot, just not as well as others. And in a game of percentages, you're not going to be a team player jacking 35% shots when you could defer to teammates shooting 45%+. Wiggins puts up a lot of shots and is considered one of the more damaging players (to his own team).

Simmons 3PA appears to be about confidence at this point. Just needs to hit one to get rolling IMO.

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Isaac
Years ago

Ingles with 7 points but 5 steals in the second game. Rockets easy winners though.

Baynes started in the Celtics' second win - 5/2/2 in 15 minutes for -8 in an 8 point win.

Maker got 21 minutes for 6/2/3 on 2/9 FG in the Pistons' second loss.

Simmons' 18/10/12 in the equalising game a couple of days ago still the only real highlight for Australian players?

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Hoops

Australians in NBA Playoffs: first round

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