Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (center) is getting more and more comfortable with his new role of coming off the bench.
Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (center) is getting more and more comfortable with his new role of coming off the bench.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The meaning of resiliency is different here this season.
The Celtics have to hold themselves to different standards than in the past. And while they watched a 26-point lead whittled down to 6 after a stirring rally by the Magic reserves Sunday night at the Garden, they prevailed and walked away with a quality win.
This team is still seeking consistency. There may never be a set rotation, but whoever hits the floor will have to produce regardless of their minutes, their role in the previous game, and their position.
With Neemias Queta limited to just six minutes because of a sprained ankle, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla mixed and matched combinations in what was an important game. Two days after a flat performance against the Nets, the Celtics used fortitude and depth to bounce back with a 138-129 victory.
The theme was that depth, especially a combined 39 points from Anfernee Simons and Josh Minott. The only offensive staple so far this season has been Jaylen Brown, who again delivered with 35 points and 8 assists in 37 minutes.
Jaylen Brown fights through Orlando's Noah Penda (93) for a big fourth-quarter rebound in Sunday's win.
Jaylen Brown fights through Orlando's Noah Penda (93) for a big fourth-quarter rebound in Sunday's win.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
After Brown, the production has been spotty at times because of early-season slumps by Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. The Celtics have had to throw unproven players into new roles — or, in Simons case, a proven player into an older role.
Mazzulla’s treatment of Simons has been one of the more interesting storylines so far. Simons is a former starter, proven scorer, and has a versatile offensive skill set. Yet, there are times when Mazzulla keeps him in bubble wrap — such as his 12-minute stint against the Clippers, or the 17 minutes he played in the first meeting with the Magic.
It seems the more Simons plays, the better and more productive he’s going to get. So it may be of Mazzulla’s best interest to ignore some of the defensive mistakes because the dude can get buckets. He scored 23 points in 22 minutes Sunday, leading the Celtics to a season-best 48-point second quarter as they pulled away from the exhausted and shorthanded Magic, who played Saturday night at home.
He's dangerous from deep 👌🏽@AnferneeSimons with the tough three in tonight's @JetBlue Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/BYyItGs15B
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 24, 2025
Simons is a man of few words, allowing his actions to speak. He arrived in Boston excited after seven mostly losing seasons in Portland. This was an opportunity for him to showcase his game to a bigger audience, compete with a team that has a championship culture, and a franchise that wants him to improve. So he has given maximum effort on defense, considered his biggest weakness, and been exactly what the Celtics needed offensively — averaging 14.4 points and 41 percent 3-point shooting in just 25 minutes per game.
Mazzulla has been cautious to laud Simons in the early going. He is still in the transition process, but it’s obvious the Celtics need more from Simons — and he can produce more with more minutes.
The consensus from the Celtics faithful is “Let him cook, Joe!”
“He’s playing his role really well,” Mazzulla said of Simons. “He’s given us everything. I think he’s trying to understand the system. He’s learning, he’s competing, he just has to get more comfortable coming off the bench and being aggressive right away.
“In the first few games, I think he was easing into it. In the last few, that’s what we needed him to be — and so he’s done a great job of that, just scoring in a bunch of different ways. It’s good to see him do that.”
Giving us the spark ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/kf4Bhbc9EN
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 23, 2025
Simons realized he’s entering a situation where he’s essentially an outsider. It’s not his personality or disposition to just take over the moment he gets the ball. He has blended slowly into the team dynamic, respecting those who have been here for years, trying to soak in the culture and simultaneously show that he can be a quality, reliable scorer on a winning team as free agency approaches.
“Honestly, just keeping it simple. That was my thing, just easing into the game and seeing how they were guarding me,” Simons said. “Here I don’t have that much time to be able to ease into the game, so taking the opportunities, being aggressive and making the right plays as well. Simplifying that has been easy for me the past couple of games.”
As we have learned with this edition of the Celtics, very few wins come easily. Like the Celtics have stunned teams with players such as Minott, Jordan Walsh, and Queta playing more prominent roles, the Magic emptied their bench and got a combined 61 points from Jett Howard and rookies Jase Richardson and Noah Penda to slice the Boston lead to six with 71 seconds left on Sunday.
Celtics forward Josh Minott (8) gets physical on Magic guard Anthony Black during Sunday's win.
Celtics forward Josh Minott (8) gets physical on Magic guard Anthony Black during Sunday's win.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The Celtics used their guile and poise to hold on, but the lesson here is the NBA is no longer a league where scrubs occupy the end of the bench. The Celtics lost focus and began playing second-half pickup and nearly got caught. So as much as a win against Orlando and a return to a winning record was a reason for positive vibes, the Celtics realized they could have made matters easier on themselves with total focus.
But they were saved by the likes of Simons and Minott, as they both continue to learn that their roles will constantly fluctuate as Mazzulla looks for the right combination from game to game.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.