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The mere mention of the name Ben Simmons is almost always accompanied by a discussion of his jump shot, or more accurately the need for him to develop a reliable one.

The Philadelphia 76ers star point guard faces consistent questions about his jumper, and he was asked on Wednesday if the Sixers could reach their championship aspirations if he didn't shoot better, or if he even thought he needed to improve in that area:

"It's not that I don't need to do it. It's something that I'm working toward and getting better as a player. ... Everybody works to get better. ... And that's just my game. I'm confident in saying I'm not a great shooter. I'm getting better, though. But it's a game, it's five people on the court. I lack something that I'm not as great at but in other areas I'm very great. I run the floor as well as anybody, I'm physical, I can rebound the ball. I'm a 6'10" point guard, I can guard 1 through 5. [The jumper] is just one thing that's coming into my game, which I'm excited about, I love getting better. I love spending time in the gym and building that confidence."

It was an honest answer that showed his maturity.

AsPaul Hudrickof NBC Sports wrote: "[Simmons] has spoken to the media more than ever during training camp and coming into the preseason. He's focused more on becoming a leader and wanting to make sure his bevy of new teammates are up to speed on the team's terminology and concepts."

There's little doubt that an improved jump shot would not only make Simmons a truly elite player but would also make the 76ers much better. One of the issues with the pairing of Simmons and Joel Embiid is that Simmons' inability to space the floor often allows opponents to help off him and double Embiid in the post.

In the past, the Sixers have put Simmons in the dunker spot in the half-court offense or have pushed Embiid out to the perimeter. Neither option is ideal. But Embiid might have to take on an even bigger onus in the offense with Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick no longer in Philadelphia, meaning the days of hiding Simmons in the dunker spot are probably over.

Instead, head coach Brett Brownhas saidthat Simmons will often be positioned in one of the corners when he's off the ball in the half court. That means he'll see some open looks from three, and a willingness to take themand the ability to at least make some of themwill be vital for Philadelphia.

One positive for the Sixers? Simmons took a pull-up three before the buzzer at the end of the first half in a preseason game against theGuangzhou Long-Lions, sinking the bucket as the Philly fans and his teammates went berserk.

"The time went down," Simmons told reporters after the game, perKeith Pompeyof Philly.com. "I had the ball. So I had to take a shot."

It was the first three-point make of his NBA careerhe'd only attempted 18 (17 in the regular season), though many of them were end-of-quarter heavesand exactly what Philadelphia fans were hoping to see this season. Nobody expects Simmons to suddenly morph into Stephen Curry, but a willingness to take open perimeter shots and sink them at a decent clip would do wonders for Philadelphia's spacing and offense.

It's the next natural step in Simmons' evolution as a player, and he seems to be embracing it. That's good news for the Sixers and potentially very bad news for the rest of the NBA.

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Watch 76ers' Ben Simmons Discuss the Progress of His Jumper: I'm Getting Better - Bleacher Report