BOSTON—Anfernee Simons has started every game he appeared in for the past three seasons in Portland but that’s a trend that’s coming to an end. An offseason trade to the Celtics has set the stage for to a transition to a reserve role in Boston, starting in Sunday’s preseason matchup against the Cavaliers. Simons got the start in his Celtics debut Friday night against the Raptors, but with Derrick White back available on Sunday, Simons came off the bench for the first time since the 2021-22 season in his new home.
The early returns for the transition were quite promising in the preseason tuneup, as Simons scored a team-high 21 points off the bench in his 24 minutes in the Celtics’ 138-107 blowout win over the undermanned Cavaliers. Simons went 6-of-9 from 3-point range in the victory while also chipping in with two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in his new role.
“I thought at first I was overthinking it,” Simons said of his performance. “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.”
The Celtics look set to hand a starting job to Payton Pritchard following the departure of Jrue Holiday, which leaves Simons in an unfamiliar spot in a reserve role. Simons began his career backing up Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for his first three seasons in Portland and now wants to rebuild that type of chemistry he had with that backcourt duo with his new backcourt mates in Boston, particularly Pritchard.
“Yeah, just feeling it out in the game and then obviously just having constant communication with him,” Simons said of building chemistry in the backcourt. “Obviously, I played with Dame and CJ and so I was able to learn how to be able to space pretty well and give those guys some room to work. And so it’s just the same thing with Payton. Payton can get downhill, create his own shot and so you’ve got to give him the space that he needs. And also it helps put the defense in a bind. Just he’s going one-on-one at the top of the key or on the wing, and I’m on the other wing, and it forces the help defender to make a choice to choose.”
Simons has limitations on the defensive end, but the Celtics are hopeful that he will reach a different level in that area in Boston while playing against second units. Simons has dealt with foul trouble in parts of his first two preseason appearances but has held his own well against reserves, some of whom won’t be in rotations come next week.
“He’s just got to be a complete player,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He has to have an understanding of the physicality that’s needed on every single possession on both ends of the floor. That’s the only thing I care about. It’s got to be physical. He’s got to box out. He has to be able to defend, and everything else will take care of itself.”
The 25-year-old guard is also turning back to familiar habits to rebuild a rhythm in his new role in Boston.
“Obviously it’s a different team, but early in my career when I came off the bench, I just tried to understand the flow of the game – what I feel like we needed when I came into the game,” Simons said. “At first it was difficult. Obviously coming in and trying to find a rhythm offensively, you haven’t been playing this whole time, so just feeling out how the game is being played.
“You get a snapshot before you go on of how the defense is playing certain players and you might get the same coverage, so you kind of get a good idea of how the team is going to play. And then I feel like early on in my career, me and my trainer used to do drills where we’d come in late at night and I would sit down for a second and he’d tell me to get up, come in and shoot a three, and I gotta make it. Certain drills like that helped me come in and be pretty productive early in the game.”
Simons gets one more tune-up as a backup Wednesday night against the Raptors before making his regular season debut at TD Garden against the 76ers on Oct. 22.
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