Blazers: 5 goals for Anfernee Simons to achieve in his rookie season

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TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 12: Anfernee Simons #24 of the Portland Trail Blazers poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Anfernee Simons has so much untapped potential, but he might not get the opportunity to explore it this season. Here are five goals to earn him reliable minutes in the Blazers rotation and accelerate that development.

The Blazers litany of guards put the “depth” in depth chart; behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are three shooting guards and two more point guards. The five newly added players have 38.8 minutes to split amongst themselves, which is not enough for all to share.

At the bottom of the Portland-guard totem pole sits Anfernee Simons, the No. 24 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Most 19-year-old athletes aren’t ready to assume a steady rotation spot on their respective teams, and Simons’ lack of premier competition before the NBA adds fuel to that fire.

As a result, his minutes will primarily come during blowouts or because of injuries to the players ahead of him on the depth chart. For him to capitalize on those limited minutes, Simons must address a few aspects of his game.

Blazers management moved a then-rookie Caleb Swanigan to the G-League when he failed to impress, and the same likely goes for Simons. This relegation shouldn’t be taken as an insult, but immediately benefitting the team will help him avoid it.

Here are the five goals for Simons to make that impact and stay with the team for all 82 games.