The Portland Trail Blazers missed Anfernee Simons' combo guard skill set this season. As a team that ranked near the bottom in key shooting and playmaking categories, he would've given them a much-needed offensive boost.
That said, the playoffs continue to justify Portland's decision to trade Simons.
The talent gap between the conferences is more apparent than ever when watching the respective conference finals. The difference largely comes on the defensive end.
Positional size and versatility are key to an elite defense
The Oklahoma City Thunder have a historic defense, utilizing their positional size and versatility out on the perimeter to make life difficult for ball handlers. The San Antonio Spurs have a historic rim protector in Victor Wembanyama, who would legitimately win the Defensive Player of the Year award for the next decade-plus, barring injury. To a lesser extent than the Thunder, they also have that coveted switchability out on the perimeter thanks to the size of their guards.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference features two offense-minded teams: the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams' game plans to attack the opposing team's weak links create a mismatch that can't be solved because their worst defenders also happen to be their best offensive stars. We saw that in Game 1's shocking comeback, which was catalyzed by James Harden's inability to stay in front of Jalen Brunson.
Kenny Atkinson was criticized for not calling a timeout to stop the momentum. Some thought he should've even benched Harden to stop the bleeding, after New York exposed a major flaw in their roster. Atkinson backed his flawed defensive star, saying it's more of a team-defense issue.
"At this level, it's team defense," Atkinson said. "Sure, everybody's putting it on James. A lot of it's on the team, our team defense. … Sure, some of it was him; there were a couple of blow-bys. But again, I'd argue it was the team defense, too."Â
Atkinson's comment misses how hard it is to be a good defensive team with even one liability out there on the court. Offensive systems in the modern NBA are built around hunting for mismatches, forcing the defense to scramble for help, and creating a good shot.
Blazers traded Anfernee Simons to commit to their defensive identity
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla uniquely likens it to killer whales hunting seals. It's part of why they traded away Simons at the deadline; both Portland and Boston know how hard it is to build a strong defense with such a liability out on the perimeter.
Whoever survives the thrilling Western Conference Finals will be considered heavy favorites over the Knicks or Cavaliers. And it's the defense that separates the contenders from the pretenders.
Portland is on the right track in its roster construction, prioritizing length, athleticism, and versatility. As good as Simons was for them on offense, they were never going to become that truly elite defense with him in the picture.
The decision to trade him was, in itself, a strategic move to align with the direction the league is headed. The fact that they were able to swap him for Jrue Holiday, one of the best two-way guards in the league, is just them doubling down on the identity that should result in a deep playoff run sooner rather than later.
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