Jonathon Simmons still searching for his shot, and his rotation spot

Jonathon Simmons is struggling to find his shot to start the season. Those struggles have left him flitting in and out of the rotation.

Jonathon Simmons entered the season behind. There is no way to deny that.

All the growth and steps he took last year playing a consistent and major role for a team for the first time in his career hit a major roadblock when he required surgery on his wrist shortly after the season ended. The fact he could not do much basketball activity until only a few weeks before training camp put him behind.

It is easy to forget because Jonathon Simmons is so well traveled how relatively new to the NBA he is. This is just his fourth season in the league. He admitted even last year that he was feeling the fatigue of playing more minutes than he had even in his two years before combined.

Still, there was plenty to get excited about with Simmons. He was a starter even before injuries began decimating the team and a fairly consistent performer. Simmons was a bit more ball dominant than expected, but he was effective getting into the lane and was liable to go off for big games when he had his shot falling.

At the very least, he was a driver opposing defenses had to account for on a team with few guys who could get to the basket.

Simmons was likely returning to a bench role this year. He was to be the featured sixth man, the guy who would drive and lead the second unit alongside Terrence Ross.

That has not quite happened. Simmons has looked out of rhythm and has been inconsistent. His shooting has not come around and the team has suffered from his forays to the rim without consistent finishing at the rim.

It came to a head Friday when coach Steve Clifford removed him from the rotation. Wesley Iwundu took his minutes in the second quarter as Clifford started tightening his rotation to his preferred nine-man unit.

Deserving players certainly are not going to get all the minutes they should in this case. In that case, Simmons was the one squeezed out.

That changed quickly Sunday. With the Los Angeles Lakers beating Wesley Iwundu in the paint with Kyle Kuzma, coach Steve Clifford returned to Jonathon Simmons looking to add a bit of toughness.

That game displayed a lot of the reasons why Simmons has struggled to this point in the season — he scored 10 points but shot 4 for 11 from the floor. But it also showed why Simmons still has so much value.

Steve Clifford said outside of Nikola Vucevic, Jonathon Simmons was the biggest impactor in the game. His toughness and defense were valued and helped turn the game around.

Orlando Magic

But that stat line and poor shooting have also been a consistent story for him. Even as he entered the starting lineup Monday against the Golden State Warriors, Simmons’ raw production left something to be desired. He had six points on 2-for-6 shooting in that game. But, again, his defense was solid and helped bottle up Klay Thompson until the fourth quarter.

It is likely this reason Simmons has bounced quickly from in the rotation to out of it to starting once again. He provides intangible value with his defense, but his shooting has been poor. He is probably the most disappointing offensive player on the team.

Simmons is averaging 7.3 points per game and shooting a 35.3 percent effective field goal percentage in 21.5 minutes per game. His raw scoring output is only slightly higher than it was when he was playing spot minutes with the San Antonio Spurs. And his shooting is far worse than at any other point in his career.

Almost certainly there was a bit of an adjustment coming back from his injury. Simmons needed to get his rhythm back.

Orlando obviously knows his talent and what he can do at full bore. So they stuck with him. But his production has not turned around. It is all about his shooting.

What has changed with Simmons? It is hard to pinpoint anything other than the basic: he is just missing shots.

Simmons averages 6.6 drives per game this year but is shooting just 35.3 percent off those drives with 0.5 assists per game, according to NBA.com’s Player Tracking statistics. Last year, he shot 44.8 percent on 10.0 drives per game with 0.9 assists per game.

Simmons is still finishing effectively around the basket. He is making 54.5 percent of his shots within five feet and 57.9 percent of his shots in the restricted area. When Simmons does get to the basket, he is scoring. But he is struggling to make shots everywhere else on the floor.

Understandably, playing fewer minutes Simmons is getting fewer opportunities to drive. But his efficiency is way down in that category. And that is a big deal for a player who is third — behind only Evan Fournier and D.J. Augustin — on drives per game.

When Simmons is on the court, he has the ball in his hands a lot. But this year it has been less so.

Simmons’ usage rate is down to 19.9 percent from 22.0 percent last year. That means he is finishing a lot fewer possessions when he is on the floor. That might be partly the nature of the Magic’s offense. It may not be something that fits Simmons’ eye or he has not found his fit quite yet.

His 3-point shooting is the biggest concern then. His percentage has dipped to 22.0 percent. He is taking fewer of those shots — 2.2 per game to 3.0 last year. Simmons was not an entirely effective pull-up shooter last year — 36.6 percent on 2.9 field goal attempts per game — but has not seen much change to those opportunities this year — 2.4 attempts per game.

Despite his poor shooting, his defense remains valuable.

Simmons is undoubtedly one of the few players willing to mix things up physically on a consistent basis. Simmons has re-established the physical brand of defense that made him a surprise player in San Antonio.

Orlando has a 104.4 defensive rating with Simmons on the floor. That is the most of any player regularly in the rotation. And even more impressive considering the majority of Simmons’ minutes are with the bench players — the other four players in that lineup make up the four worst players on the team in on-court defensive rating.

Simmons absolutely still has value for the team for that reason. He is playing some very strong defense. But it feels precarious. And how far Simmons goes ultimately falls on his shot.

It always has of course.

It is hard to say looking at the numbers why Simmons is struggling. He is simply missing shots right now. The quality of his looks are still fine. His assist rate is up and his turnover rate is down so his drives through the paint do not seem completely aimless.

Maybe some of Simmons’ issue is he is still finding his place within the offense and sometimes takes it out of rhythm with his driving and tendency to isolate. Orlando might be able to mitigate that some by surrounding him with shooters to give him freer driving and passing lanes. But that is hard to do with this roster unless he is in the starting lineup.

The Magic offense, for now, is humming despite Simmons’ inconsistent offensive production. As he settles in and gets back some form of comfort, the Magic will need him to shoot better to help balance that bench lineup.