Off-ball movement
Portland’s offense consists of many off-ball screens to free up shooters on the wings, hence why the team signed several guards who thrive on such opportunities.
If Simons does play as a shooting guard like in Summer League, he’ll find himself attempting a lot of catch-and-shoot threes.
He made a pedestrian 34.6% of his outside shots at the Las Vegas tournament, significantly lower than his IMG Academy percentage (44.9%). Additionally, few of his nine converted threes were quick releases – he generally attempted them off the dribble.
To immediately make an impact on the Blazers offense, Simons must recover his IMG Academy three-point shooting touch and apply it to catch-and-shoot opportunities. The offense needs a guard who can do so consistently, so if the guys above him on the depth chart don’t meet Stotts’ standards, Simons gets his chance and can capitalize on it.
Also, establishing himself as an outside threat forces defenders to run over screens and try to block the passing lane. This opens up a clear path to the paint for Simons to gather the pass, get into the paint, and finish with his elite athleticism (or use that newfound playmaking to find a teammate under the hoop for easy points).