Playing against a much higher level of competition, Anfernee Simons was comfortable and contributed to the Blazers championship run immensely.
Anfernee Simons is one of few non-foreign prospects to avoid playing at the NCAA level. After Simons committed to Louisville, Rick Pitino underwent a FBI investigation for allegedly bribing high school athletes with money from Adidas.
Wanting no part of the investigation and Pitino’s firing, Simons elected to play one more year at IMG Academy. He still declared for the draft at the season’s close.
The Blazers gave Simons two pre-draft workouts, the only prospect to receive such treatment. As expected, Neil Olshey used his lone first round draft pick on the IMG Academy athlete.
Immediately, people began questioning Simons’ readiness for NBA-level competition. Most rookies have some NCAA experience under their belt, so the jump to the NBA isn’t as big. Simons, on the other hand, played a lower level of competition and will now face off with the best in the sport.
However, the rookie looked comfortable in Summer League – he knew where to go on the floor at all times and didn’t force passes or shoot bad shots. After six Summer League games and a championship medal around his neck, Simons averaged 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.0 minutes.