Anfernee Simons is a productive NBA player because he's a high-level scorer. The 26 year-old is an elite 3-point shooter, can create offense for himself off the dribble, can find his shot in the midrange, and has always been better than average finishing at the rim. Those are all important traits for a guard.
But Simons has never been a multi-faceted player, and Celtics fans are finding that out quickly about the guard on a $27 million expiring deal. When his shot is working, he's a firestarter. When the shot isn't falling, Simons doesn't produce in enough other ways to be a consistent part of a rotation. His defense has always been unreliable, and his passing never quite developed as much as Portland hoped.
In other words, when he's on, he's on, and when he's not, he's tough to play — especially when the C's other guards like Payton Pritchard and Derrick White both do provide those other dimensions. White is an elite defender and Pritchard is a fantastic guard rebounder. If they both provide most of the scoring Simons does plus those other traits, then Simons' potential role on this team becomes less clear, other than occasional scoring injection.
Anfernee Simons has been good, but streaky, for Boston Celtics
It's always odd to see a player you got used to watching head to another team and see that team's fanbase learn the ins and outs of his game. That's the case with Simons and Celtics fans right now — and they've learned both sides of the spectrum along with Joe Mazzulla.
Simons scored 25 points and then 17 points in two consecutive games, then followed those games up with 6 total points in two games on 2-13 shooting. He's always going to be streaky; but in Portland, he was such a big part of the Blazers' equation that he would be forced to work through those streaks.
In Boston, where there's plenty more depth in the backcourt, he doesn't have that luxury. We've already seen that if he doesn't produce, Joe Mazzulla will not be shy to bench him for long stretches.
Anfernee Simons will always be a fan favorite in PDX. This fanbase watched his development from a wide-eyed rookie to a legit NBA bucket-getter and he had a real connection with the city. I saw him at Chipotle one time. But his role in Portland was clear — now, in his first year with a team other than the Blazers, Simons is being forced to find his role all over again, and that comes with some bumps along the way.