76ers' Brown takes blame for Simmons' lack of 3-pointers: 'I have failed'

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown is taking some of the responsibility for Ben Simmons' struggles from distance.

In December, Brown challenged his star point guard to attempt at least one 3-pointer per game after he hit just his second career three. However, Simmons has made only one attempt since - a half-court heave at the buzzer days later against the Denver Nuggets.

Brown says Simmons' hesitance to fire from deep is partly on him.

"Evidently, I have failed," Brown said Monday, courtesy of Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's something that we're all mindful of, and this is one of those things that is never going to go away. The attention that this has received is remarkable, but I guess I helped fuel it.

"I own it, and I've got to help him find this, and most importantly, he has to help himself."

Simmons has converted just two 3-pointers in 22 attempts over three seasons. He didn't record his first official three until this campaign when he drilled one from the corner on Nov. 20 against the New York Knicks.

Brown says the entire 76ers' roster needs to start connecting from deep more often, not just Simmons.

"This is where my problem is," he said, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "This team needs to find more 3-point opportunities. We do. We need to hunt threes in a more definitive way than we currently are."

Entering Friday's contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia ranked 19th in total 3-pointers made (399) and 22nd in 3-pointers attempted (1,112). The Houston Rockets ranked first in both marks with 546 and 1,549, respectively.