It surprised some that the Boston Celtics got a player the caliber of Anfernee Simons back in the deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Simons is known for his offensive prowess and has shown to be a high-volume scorer over his seven NBA seasons.
And Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens certainly doesn’t need to be convinced of the impact Simons can make on that end of the floor.
“Anfernee is a guy people out here probably don’t see as much because of the time that they play,” Stevens told reporters Tuesday at the Auerbach Center, per MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “But his ability to score, to shoot the ball, make really hard shots, is pretty elite and you look at a guy that’s 26 years old and averaged 20 a game for three straight years, I think he’s a really good player, and I think he can get better. That’s a big part of it.”
Simons really took off with the Trail Blazers starting with 2021-22 campaign and has averaged 19.9 points with 4.5 assists over the last four seasons. The Celtics will like his ability to knock down shots from long range, too, as he’s a career 38.1% shooter from beyond the arc.
Simons will take loads of pressure off Jaylen Brown to generate offense next season with Jayson Tatum sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles. Simons can create his own offense and being able to sink contested shots as Stevens pointed out shouldn’t be overlooked. And playing alongside Brown and Derrick White should only help free up Simons, too.
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While the Celtics could look to trade Simons to get out from his $27.7 million expiring contract and lessen their luxury tax penalties, it feels like Stevens wants to see how Simons fits in with the team before making a decision about his future with Boston.
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