There have been talks about basketball superstar Ben Simmons and his ability to perform a basic basketball fundamental of putting the ball through the hoop. It is so easy for people to poke fun and add their own opinion on the matter. Ben’s inability to make his shooting skill the main weapon has cost his team an opportunity to move to the next bracket of the NBA Finals Series.
“Box Hill Benny” as some people call him started playing basketball in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill. His father is Dave Simmons who played many years in the NBL and won a national title in 1993 playing alongside Andrew Gaze and Lenard Copeland for the Melbourne Tigers. Ben Simmons has been written up in the local newspaper because of his talent and athleticism before he was offered to play for Louisiana State University.
So where did it go wrong for Ben? According to experts and non-experts, Ben has the tools to be a top player in the NBA except that he doesn’t have a jump shot. Back in 2019, there was footage of the late Kobe Bryant commenting on how good Ben Simmons could be if he spent the extra time developing his jump shot. His lacklustre performance was evident when his team Philadelphia 76ers got knocked out of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks. Simmons only scored 5 points while being on the court for 36 minutes; he did however dish out 13 assists (but being a high calibre point guard that number is expected every game).
What can Ben do and how does this apply to you? Ben can still turn this around; he can use the offseason to work on his game. He can hire a shooting coach and fire 2,500 jump shots a day and mentally prepare for the next season. His other skill is so good that it covered up his weakness, but with the aid of scouts and game tapes, his opponents have studied his game and learned to exploit his weakness. How does this apply to you? We all have flaws and we all have gaps, would you agree with that? Whatever it might be, we can always work on it to make it a superpower. For myself, I found out what I was lacking in and found people who are great at that particular skill and I learn from them. I went out of my way to confront my weakness and asked for help.
My challenge for you is to confront the thing that is not a strong point and make it a strong point. Find out who might be able to help you and start working on it. By learning that skill, it will add value to what you are doing and help close the gap and it will pay off in the long run.
Until next time STAY FOCUSED!
(For comments or feedback, email thadmangalino@gmail.com)
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