Anfernee Simons’ half-season with the Boston Celtics was the first time he’d been on a team with an above .500 record since the 2020-21 season. Five years is a long time to spend losing.
As the tagline says, it’s #DifferentHere.
“They have a lot of aspirations to win a championship, and you can see that each and every day — by their habits, the way they practice, the way they speak to each other, it’s one common goal,” Simons told reporters at Wednesday’s Chicago Bulls shootaround at TD Garden, via CLNS Media. “I learned a lot from just being around and being able to experience it here.”
As quickly as Simons got used to the winning standard in Boston, it all came to an end last week when he was traded to the Bulls for Nikola Vucevic. Though the news was disappointing, the 26-year-old appreciated Celtics president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens’s openness about what could happen around the deadline.
“Brad is a good guy, and he's always been open and honest about everything,” Simons shared. “Obviously, it was a tough conversation for him, for me to accept, but I understood.”
He added that he’d hoped to be able to see the season through, but couldn’t blame the organization for wanting to add a great player like Vucevic.
Simons giving insight into what it was like to play for the Celtics and what learning that he’d no longer be a part of this team was like, was expected from his pregame availability.
Anfernee Simons sounds like he'd come back to the Celtics in a heartbeat
The unexpected part, however, came when he welcomed the idea of heading back to Boston at some point.
“For sure, obviously, we gotta finish our season [in Chicago] first and then see what happens there,” Simons explained when asked if he’d consider coming back to Boston. “For sure, down the line. I said it, I enjoyed my time here. I built great relationships here. So, I see it for sure.”
Simons, of course, will become a free agent when his contract expires this July, meaning he can sign wherever he pleases, including in Boston.
The former Portland Trail Blazers guard took on a completely different role with the Celtics than he was used to. He moved to the bench, had limited opportunities to create with the ball, and was challenged to improve as a defender.
He delivered to the fullest extent possible in just 49 games with Boston. Simons averaged 14.2 points per game off the bench on 44% from the field and 39.5% from beyond the arc. Again, not only did he score, but his growth as a defender in such a short time was easy to appreciate.
Literally every person within the organization who has spoken on Simons since the trade has had nothing but glowing things to say. If nothing else, his time in Boston speaks volumes to how malleable he is as a player.