Portland Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons’ career taking a familiar track
Rob Ryan
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Slide down the bench
The following season, Simons became Portland’s first guard off the bench, a role previously occupied by Seth Curry. After a hot start to Simons’ second season, he hit a sophomore slump. His percentages dipped, and eventually, so did his time on the court. Coach Terry Stotts opted for starting shooting guard CJ Mccollum to play the point on the second unit.
As CJ began to take over Simons’ role, Gary Trent Jr. emerged as a young, feisty 3-and-D player to pair with him. GTJ pushed Simons further down the bench. After a first-round exit in the 2020 playoffs, the Blazers pondered if Simons was a long-term solution as the team’s backup point guard.
Back “on point”
Over the first few months of this season, it became apparent that Simons reclaimed his shooting touch. His three-point percentage rose to over 40 percent, a vast improvement on his first two seasons. A mid-season injury to Mccollum thrust Simons back into position as the Portland Trail Blazers lead guard off the bench. It’s a role in which he is starting to excel.
McCollum’s return and Trent’s trade to Toronto for Norman Powell led to Simons regaining a familiar role. Stotts saw enough from him to trust Simons as Portland’s lead guard off the bench again.
Shortly after the All-Star weekend (Simons won the dunk contest), he tied an NBA record, making his first nine, three-point attempts in a single game. Simons also made four straight treys at the end of the previous game. That also tied a league record with 13 straight threes. His reputation as a marksman is growing.
Page 3 – Something familiar
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