Anfernee Simons joined the Boston Celtics with a reputation as a defensive liability. Despite his undoubted ability on the offensive side of the floor, his inability to “guard his yard” had sections of the fanbase concerned about how he would fit into Joe Mazzulla’s roster.
After all, Mazzulla might be known for his affinity toward the three-point line, but defense has been the Celtics’ identity under his leadership.
The challenge for Boston’s coaching staff was always going to be helping Simons improve on defense without losing his aggression when looking to score the ball. Finding a middle ground is key to his tenure with the franchise being a successful one, but that balance has been a work in progress.
However, in the last two games, Simons appears to be finding his footing.
The score-first guard dropped 19 points on 7-of-21 shooting against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. He added four rebounds, two assists and a block to his overall production, helping the Celtics secure their third consecutive win.
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Simons noted after Boston’s latest win that the coaching staff has been pushing him to show more aggression on the offensive end.
“Coach has been telling me to just be myself, be aggressive,” Simons said, via CLNS Media. “I think tonight was probably the most aggressive I’ve ever been. It’s just figuring out from there, just continuing to read the game and figure out what the game needs. Just being myself in the midst of that. So, I think the coach has been begging me to be more aggressive, and I think I was aggressive today. I just hope next time I make a couple more shots.”
Simons has the potential to be a flamethrower off the bench, thus plugging the void left by Payton Pritchard’s move into the starting lineup. However, his offensive aggression against the Sixers wasn’t the only encouraging aspect about his performance. Simons also performed at a high level on defense, ending the night with a 28.6 Defensive Field Goal percentage (DFG%).
In 10 minutes of defensive playing time, Simons contested 14 shots, holding his opponents to just four makes. Of those 14 shots, nine came on the perimeter, with just one finding the bottom of the net.
If Simons can continue to make that type of two-way performance, he will either cement himself as a key member of the Celtics rotation or build up his trade value ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Either way, his addition to the roster will be paying dividends, just as it did on Friday, when he provided the spark Boston needed to overcome the Sixers and secure its first NBA Cup win of the season.
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