BOSTON — From the moment Anfernee Simons landed with the Celtics, he spoke about wanting to be viewed as a winning player and sacrificing for the betterment of the team. Similar messages always sound great on media day, but action speaks to the truth over the course of the regular season.
Well, Simons has done all he said and then some. This time, he scored a season-high 27 points in the win over the Bulls on Monday. Simons has played his best basketball of the season over the past few weeks. But Simons is playing so well has created an interesting trade dilemma for the C’s front office.
“Each game is something different,” Simons said after the win. “I think just trying to find ways I can impact the game. Obviously, I know I can come in and be aggressive and try to score the ball, just the little things, whether it’s crashing the glass or guarding my man. I think it’s been fun, kind of implementing myself into this culture that’s been set and the expectations that’s been set already as well, too.”
Simons has been in trade rumors since he was acquired by the Celtics from the Trail Blazers. The C’s needed to shed salary, so they sent Jrue Holiday to Portland. In return, they got Simons and his expiring $27.7 million contract. Initially, if the Celtics wanted to dip under the luxury tax, Simons looked like a natural option to trade away.
But his recent play has turned heads. Simons and the bench were a huge reason why the Celtics went 4-1 on their recent road trip. In the win over the Pacers on Dec. 22, it was Simons and the reserves who guided the Celtics after the starters were benched. It’s also apparent Simons is getting comfortable with his bench role with each passing game.
One of the bigger developments is Simons as a whole. His defense was a massive question mark coming into the season, which he acknowledged during media day. There have been struggles, but Simons has some juice on that end of the court. It’s about wanting to make an impact, and Simons has done just that to buy into the Celtics culture.
“When you got it going and you got a little bit more offensive responsibility, obviously you get a tired a little bit faster,” Simons said. “But it’s been fun. When those times do happen, just trying to push myself and staying that same person defensively. Being locked in and trying to pick up full and doing all that other stuff. Like tonight, it was fun to kind of push myself conditioning-wise and to keep that same intensity defensively.”
Simons built his reputation as a scorer in Portland, often at the top of the opposing scouting report each night. But it’s a different ballgame in Boston, where Simons is instead relied upon as offense off the bench. Some veterans could scoff at the idea of going from starter to reserve, but Simons has taken the adjustment in stride.
Importantly, he’s bought into C’s coach Joe Mazzulla’s vision. The whole team has. That’s also led to wins — a lot of them. The Celtics are now 23-12, good for second in the East after the Knicks lost to the first-place Pistons. Simons has been a huge part of the equation as it’s looking unclear if he’ll be moved at February’s trade deadline.
“What you see from him is kind of what you get,” Mazzulla said. “Just a guy that has come in with a great attitude. He’s happy to be here. Wants to do whatever it takes to win and has an understanding in that, but also super confident. You’ve seen there’s some games where that run that he’s been on, and his stint has separated the game for us, but where he’s really been the most consistent is the defensive end.”