Why can James train three-pointers, but Simmons, a defender, have been unable to train for so many years?

On June 16, in the NBA's modern basketball system, three-pointers have become a key weapon to determine the direction of the game. However, the players' three-pointer ability development trajectory shows huge differences: LeBron James has gone from being criticized for his unstable shooting in the early days to becoming the top five player in the history of three-point shooting in the playoffs, while Ben Simmons, as a point guard, has never been able to break through the technical bottleneck of three-pointers. Behind this comparison is the complex interweaving of multiple variables such as technical foundation, training concepts, psychological factors and team positioning.

### 1. Differences in technical foundations: "Innate Inadequacies" and "Acquired Changes"

When James entered the league in 2003, shooting was indeed not his strength, and his three-point shooting percentage in the rookie season was only 29%. But the key difference is that he has a complete shooting action framework: standard jumping posture, coherent shooting follow-up movements, and a stable wrist force mechanism. These basic elements make late technical adjustments possible. After returning to the Cavaliers in 2014, James systematically lowered the shooting curve and adjusted the shooting point from front of his forehead to a higher position. This fine-tuning is based on the existing standardized movements.

In contrast, Simmons' shooting has structural flaws. The scout report pointed out that he had a "asymmetric force" problem: his left shoulder was obviously leaning forward when shooting with his right arm, causing the force chain to break. What's more serious is his "mixed hand shape" - the right-handed shot uses the foot position of the left-handed player. This chaos in the basic movement has greatly increased the cost of correction. During the 76ers period, the trainer tried to make him shoot with his left hand instead, but the reconstruction of neuromuscular memory requires at least 12,000 repetitions, and the NBA intensive schedule does not allow this "push-down" style of transformation at all.

### 2. The window period of neuroscience and motor memory exists as a "critical period" phenomenon in motor skills learning. James completed 500 three-point practices a day in high school, and established a stable shooting memory at the age of 18-22, who are the most neuroplastic. Neuroscience studies show that basketball players’ fine movement patterns will form myelin protection before the age of 25, and then transformation requires breakthroughs in physiological inhibition. Simmons mainly played without the ball before the age of 16. After becoming a point guard, he focused on cultivating organizational skills and missed the golden period of shooting movements. Biomechanical tests of the Nets in 2021 showed that the coordination of the cerebellum-vestibule system when it shot was significantly weaker than the league average.

### 3. The double constraints of psychological mechanisms The difference in psychological load in the competition situation is significant. James dared to make three-pointers at critical moments in his rookie season. Although G1 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals failed to score a buzzer-beating three-pointer against the Pistons, it showed his "risk-favorable" psychological traits. This characteristic allows it to effectively transform the training results into the arena and form a positive cycle of "successful experience-confidence-performance improvement".

Simmons is trapped in the "double avoidance conflict" in behavioral psychology: he is afraid of taking action and harming the team, and he is also worried that he will not shoot and is criticized by public opinion. After the "dunk pass" incident against the Hawks in the 2020 playoffs, EEG monitoring showed that the activity of the amygdala was abnormally increased when it was catching the ball outside the three-point line. This combat response directly inhibited the tactical decision-making function of the prefrontal cortex. What's more fatal is that the media's continued mockery of his shots has formed a "stereotype threat". Experimental psychology confirms that this negative psychological suggestion can reduce the athlete's technical movement completion by 40%.

### 4. The catalysis and suppression of the team's tactical system

The "space basketball" revolution during the Heat period forced James to transform. In the 2012-13 season, when Boshra reached outside the three-point line, James' mid-range shooting efficiency increased by 7.2 percentage points. The "dynamic space" system designed by Spoelstra requires all players to have peripheral threats, and this tactical pressure is transformed into a driving force for technological upgrades. Data shows that James's three-point shooting in four years has increased from 18.9% to 28.3%.

76ers' use of Simmons is trapped in a tactical paradox: on the one hand, he needs to attack as point guard, and on the other hand, Embiid's low-post play requires compressing space. Coach Brent Brown's "two towers" system objectively reduced Simmons' demand for outside shots, and his three-point attempts in the 2019-20 season were only 2.1 times/36 minutes. Neuroscience studies show that when athletes perceive a technology that is not necessary, the basal nucleus of the brain actively reduces the training priorities of that skill.

### 5. Differences in training investment driven by business value

James invests $1.5 million every year to form a 14-person training team, including biomechanical experts and motor neuroscientists. Its AR shooting training system developed in 2018 with Apple can track the movement trajectories of 20 link nodes in real time. The marginal benefits of this cutting-edge training are obvious: the three-point shooting percentage rose to 36.5% after the age of 35.

Simmons is trapped in the "talent trap" - excellent breakthroughs and organizational capabilities have made him ranked among the top-paying class for a long time, and his technical shortcomings have not directly affected his income. Professional sports economics research shows that when a player’s technical defect does not cause salary losses, the enthusiasm for investment in transformation will be reduced by 58%. It was not until after being traded to the Nets in 2023 that the lack of three-point ability began to threaten its starting position, and there was a turning point in improving training intensity.

### 6. Position fuzzification under the evolution of modern basketball

The "position spectrum theory" proposed by basketball theorist Hollinger points out that contemporary basketball is eliminating traditional position division. James is essentially a "ball forward", and his three-point evolution is in line with the "Skills Superposition Law" - modern forwards need to have both inside impact and outside projection. As a player with "point guard's inside style", Simmons's technological development path is contrary to the direction of the league's evolution. 2024 playoff data shows that when the point guard's three-point shooting percentage is less than 33%, the team scores 11.7 points less per 100 possessions.

This difference is ultimately reflected in historical coordinates: James becomes an evergreen across three eras through continuous technological iteration, while Simmons faces the survival crisis of "no advance, no retreat". The history of basketball development proves that the compensation for any technical shortcomings requires the triple fit of time (development window), location (team system), and people (psychological quality), and none of them are indispensable. In this era where players are required to be infinitely close to "hexagonal warriors", the lack of individual skills may become a fatal shortcoming that hinders careers.