Ok, Start, bench, cut. What's the best nickname for Anfernee Simons? Is it "Anferno", "Simons Says", or "Fire Ant"? I'm gonna start "Fire Ant", bench "Anferno", and cut "Simons Says". Regardless of what you want Simons' nickname to be, he was absolutely cooking in the 3rd quarter of the Blazers vs Nuggets game last night. Simons snapped out of his shooting funk in an electric way as he posting 22 points in the 3rd quarter alone and 29 points for the game. He shot 7-12 from 3pt range, and made 6 in the 3rd! He effectively buried the Nuggets with his offensive onslaught and took his Blazer squad to 4-0 on the year. I'm still trying to decide what was better: Simons' reactions to all his makes, Dame's reactions on court, or Drew Eubanks' reaction on the bench: (hint: it's Drew).
Let's analyze Simons' performances so far. Against the Kings, Simons scored 22 on 41% shooting. Against Phoenix, he only had 16 but hit the game-winner over DPOY candidate Mikal Bridges. He struggled in the Lakers game, and then of course last night he erupts for 29 points. So what has Simons been doing well? For starters, he's impacting the game when he's not shooting well whether it be pushing the pace, setting up teammates, or grinding on the defensive end. Defensively, Simons is holding his own and then some. Simons has a defensive rating of 105.8; the league average is about 110 or 111. Indeed, Simons has been a good defender. Remember when everyone thought he was a terrible defender? Yeah, maybe that was because he had to share the floor with Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter. This year, Simons is displaying his ability to be disruptive on the defensive end whether it's getting around screens or closing out hard on shooter. When he does get out of position, his athleticism allows him to recover effectively.
Offensively, we know what Simons can do. He's probably a top 10 pure shooter in the NBA, and you could argue top 5. There aren't many guys in the league who can score 22 in one quarter -- Dame, Steph, Klay, Trae, and Simons are the only ones. It's crazy that the Blazers have two of those players on their own team. Simons' ability to create his own shot whenever he wants is huge for this team, and his floater package is disgusting.
At the end of the day, we are going to subconsciously compare Simons to CJ. Through 4 games, I think Simons' has filled the CJ void extremely well and fits better with this team. Against the Kings, Simons had 22 on inefficient shooting. The funny thing is that it was a classic CJ McCollum stat line. If Simons is equaling CJ's offensive output on a "so-so" night, then there are bright days ahead. In addition, the potential to become a more impact player than CJ is there solely due to the defensive potential that Simons' possesses. Time will tell but I am loving what I'm seeing. One thing is for sure though: Simons showed why he earned that $100 million paycheck last night.
Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Simons' play so far!
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