Anfernee Simons needs to improve as a defender
At 6’3, with a freakish 6’9 wingspan, Simons has the physical tools to be an impact defender. With his vulture-like reach, he should be able to swallow up any regular-sized guard in the league. So far, that hasn’t been the case.
Despite his size and extreme athleticism, Simons has proven to be a turnstile on defense, constantly watching as his matchup blows by him en route to the rim for an easy two. Even with his physical tools, the young guard is too prone to ball-watching, has flat feet, and is too wiry to stop bulkier guards from barreling through him to get to the cup.
In this clip from Game 5 of the Portland Trail Blazers first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Simons makes a brutal mistake resulting in an easy three for Markus Howard. Off the pass, Simons anticipates the screen from Paul Millsap and jumps the play. Howard though, refuses the screen and simply squares to the rim sans the defender in between, and launches for three quick points.
Most of his defensive deficiencies can be solved with more repetitions and increasing his IQ on that end of the court. He has the lateral quickness, reach, and bounce to matchup with nearly any guard in the league; he just has to learn how to be in the right place at the right time.
Aside from the fundamentals, Simons will need to add 10-15lbs if he wants to become an elite defender one day. If he were to bulk up and become a more versatile stopper, there’s no reason he wouldn’t be able to play next to Damian Lillard and more consistently find open threes from his superstar point guard.
Sharpening his defensive chops will go a long way to earning Simons more floor-time and more opportunity to do what he does best: shoot.