How Anfernee Simons is delivering the game-changing evolution the Celtics needed

Anfernee Simons always had it within him to become a reliable defender. At six-foot-three, he never had the built-in excuse that diminutive guards like Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker had. He also has a six-foot-seven wingspan and impressive foot speed.

At training camp, the eighth-year guard shared that he was eager to change his reputation and prove that he's a winning player. For Simons to actualize that, he had to become more engaged on defense.

Doing so, while working closely with Boston Celtics assistant coach Ross McMains, has helped him blossom into a two-way player.

Simons is averaging 1.2 deflections, per NBA.com. That's the same amount he was generating in his final season with the Portland Trail Blazers. The difference is that he's doing so while playing eight fewer minutes per game.

In Boston's 102-94 win against his former team, Simons cut off drives from Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert. When Jerami Grant, who's six-foot-seven, tried to post him up, he stonewalled that attempt. It appeared like he forced a turnover. However, Portland retained possession. The 26-year-old guard, who had two steals in the victory, also swiped the ball out of Love's hands, leading to a Sam Hauser triple that gave the Celtics a 14-point advantage in the final frame.

His impact on and off the ball showcased his development on defense. A play that made his effort easy to appreciate came after Donovan Clingan blocked a layup attempt by Jaylen Brown. The Trail Blazers managed to keep the ball in play, throwing it ahead to Love. As he gathered the rock to go up for a layup, Simons had tracked him down. He knocked the ball out of bounds off the rookie's leg. That led to another buzzer-beater from Payton Pritchard, this one to beat the horn before halftime.

The significance of Anfernee Simon's defensive maturation

After Boston bested the franchise that made Simons a first-round pick in 2018, Joe Mazzulla praised his new sixth man for the work he is putting in on defense.

"Just his continued growth," said Mazzulla. "I mean, he had the steal. I think we got a play on that. He had the -- Grant tried to post him in front of our bench, he knocked it out. I thought we may have been able to challenge that one, but we were down a timeout, and we couldn't risk it. But just his competitiveness on both ends of the floor.

"I thought he helped us offensively in the first half and really helped us defensively in the second half, but just, really, starting to see the kind of two-way player. And we talked about Amari [Williams] and all these guys, and their willingness to want to be coached and work and just get better, and the staff and the time that we put into it; we're kind of seeing that."

The Celtics are playing Simons, who has yet to miss a game this season, nearly 25 minutes per contest. It is difficult to rely on a player to that extent if he is a liability at either end of the floor. In the "weak-link era," where teams ruthlessly hunt the opposition's worst defender, his scoring prowess could get outweighed by what was happening on the other side of the ball.

Instead, with Simons on the floor for just over 50 percent of each matchup, Boston is yielding the second-fewest points per contest.

"He has made a conscious effort to play winning basketball," said Jaylen Brown about his new teammate after the Celtics' 132-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks. "So that makes it all the better.

"You know, certain guys around the league, you know, can score the ball or whatever the case may be, but like here, we talk about being that two-way player. Here, we talk about playing winning basketball. So, it's much harder to do that than it is to go somewhere else and play losing basketball and put up 20 points or 30 points or whatever. So I give him all the respect in the world. He's adjusted well, and he seems like he's finding his footing. He looks good. You know, he's probably better than the role that he's in -- he's more talented. And he's taking the next steps and the next stages. So it has been good. I've been enjoying watching him."

Not having to shoulder the responsibility of being the primary offensive option has made it easier for Simons to demonstrate what Payton Pritchard, who used to challenge himself against the former while starring for the Oregon Ducks, always believed he was capable of on defense.

"I think he's always had that ability," voiced Pritchard after a 115-101 victory vs. the Chicago Bulls earlier this month. "It's a little bit harder when you're the main engine to maybe play defense every night at a high level. But for him, he's expanding his game, but he's always been capable of this."

Simons is building a compelling case to remain with Boston beyond the trade deadline on Feb 5. It would be intriguing to see him get the chance to play alongside Jayson Tatum.

Given that he's on an expiring contract, his evolution into a two-way player is taking place at an ideal time. He is in for a significant salary slash from his current $27.7 million arrangement. However, what a young guard who is just entering his prime is demonstrating on defense will make him more attractive to his summer suitors. Perhaps, it will even lead to him sticking around with the Celtics past this season.