Just shoot the ball.

That was Joel Embiid’s message for Ben Simmons, if you read between the lines. The 76ers star merely said it in a politically-correct fashion without publicly ripping Simmons, the versatile point forward whose reluctance to shoot from the perimeter has been a story since he came into the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft.

“We just got to look at ourselves and see what we can do individually, we’ve got to help each other even if it means being outside of your comfort zone for the greater [good] to help the team win,” Embiid told reporters on Thursday, in the wake of a three-game losing streak that included a New Year’s Eve blowout loss to the Pacers.

“Meaning that, if you’ve got to space and shoot it, you’ve got to do it. We need everybody to buy into that and we’ll be fine, we’re going to be fine. We’re still finding our groove, we haven’t been totally healthy, the whole starting lineup. Like I said, we’ll be fine.”

For all of Simmons’ talent, his inability – and refusal – to shoot has held him back. SImmons has attempted five 3-pointers this season, including the first two makes of his NBA career. His lack of shooting, though, has led to spacing issues that have threatened to derail the 23-13 76ers’ title chances.

Embiid has touched on the subject before, saying in December double-teams often come off Simmons’ man. In November, he put it bluntly: “For us to win, we are going to need him to shoot.”

Embiid has now offered another reminder to Simmons it’s time to made adjustments.