Anfernee Simons did not exactly come to the Boston Celtics with the best reputation as a defender, his time with the Portland Trail Blazers marked by plenty of games where he offered little resistance to opposing players on the defensive side of the court.
But the Florida native has shown himself to be a competent defender since joining the Celtics, establishing a baseline of defensive acumen that is already exceeding his reputation. NBC Sports Boston reporter Abby Chin recently caught up with Simons ahead of Boston’s 117-114 surprise win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday (Nov. 26), and the topic of the former 24th pick came up. “I think I made pretty big steps,” said Simons of his defensive florescence in Boston.
“I think it’s going to be a game-to-game basis,” he continued. “I think just being consistent, that’s the … thing that the coaches talk to me about. ‘We know you can do it now. You’ve got to be consistent. It needs to be an every-night thing.’ — and so that’s what we’ve been working towards.”
As to whether he enjoys defending full court, Simons had a surprising answer. “I’ll start to enjoy it now,” he explained. “It’s definitely a mindset shift, for sure. At first, I didn’t. You know what I mean? I was like, ‘All right.’ You’re starting to think about it now. Like, ‘Okay, oh, I’ve got to pick up full.'”
“But now it’s starting to become natural. When the ball goes through the net, I’m looking for somebody to pick up full— the ball handler, whoever I’m guarding. So, it’s definitely fun once you get used to it.”
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