The Boston Celtics acquired Anfernee Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason amid their roster overhaul to save money. Simons is expected to have a new but familiar role with the Celtics.
Coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to start Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, leaving Simons to come off the bench. He had 21 points in 25 minutes as a sub in the Celtics’ 138-107 preseason win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In an interview with Brian Robb of MassLive.com, the 26-year-old guard shared his reaction to coming off the bench in Boston.
“I thought at first I was overthinking it. But once I got out there I got a little more comfortable. Obviously, when you’ve been starting for how many years now, you feel, like, changing the kind of routine that you’ve built the past couple of years. But I think those early years coming off the bench really helped me and kind of understanding coming off the bench and the rhythm and just the preparation to come off the bench. But it was good,” Simons said.
Simons has been a starter for the Blazers in the past three seasons. However, he was also the primary scorer off the bench early in his career in Portland, backing up Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
Anfernee Simons Has An Expiring Contract
The Boston Celtics had to part ways with Jrue Holiday, an important part of their 2024 championship team, to acquire Anfernee Simons. The Celtics were not interested in paying the price of being a second apron team amid the absence of Jayson Tatum due to a torn Achilles tendon.
In addition to Holiday, the Celtics also traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks. They even let Al Horford and Luke Kornet leave in free agency.
The Simons trade was a savvy move since he’s on an expiring contract, as per Spotrac. He could either be a contributor for the Celtics this season or a possible trade candidate at the deadline.
ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported last month that Simons might be the next player to be put on the trade market since Boston has no intentions to make Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser available. Jaylen Brown was also linked to possible trades in the offseason, but he’s most likely staying since his partnership with Tatum is tried and tested.
Ideal Landing Spot for Simons
The Boston Celtics can never be counted out, even without Jayson Tatum. However, teams like the Detroit Pistons are expected to be better than them next season. The Pistons could be an ideal landing spot for Anfernee Simons, especially if Jaden Ivey fails to impress as the team’s secondary scorer, according to Swoosh Shrestha of Pistons Powered.
“The Pistons are hoping that Jaden Ivey can fill that role as he develops, but Simons has already proven effective as an NBA scorer. If Ivey doesn’t show clear signs of progression, he could be traded for Simons in a move to shift the Pistons championship window to the immediate future,” Shrestha wrote.
Simons averaged 19.3 points per game last season, shooting 42.6% from the field, including 36.3% from threes. He fits the secondary scorer role in Detroit, though there could be better options out there by February.
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