Heading into the season, it was easy to assume that whatever role McConnell ended up carving out for himself would need to come with Simmons off the court. Simmons, the thinking went, would need to be surrounded by shooters in order to make the offense operate according to Brown's vision. (Through nine games, the rookie has yet to connect on his first three-pointer, with all five of his attempts being period-ending heaves from long distances.) McConnell, meanwhile, hit just 29.2 percent of his three-point attempts in his first two seasons in the league. If his only offensive utility was with the ball in his hands, and the Sixers were planning on putting the ball in Simmons' hands, then how would it ever make sense to have the two players on the court together?