There are as many questions surrounding Anfernee Simons as there are for anyone on the Boston Celtics entering this season. How long will he be donning a green and white uniform this year? Will he start? Can he elevate his play on defense? And is there a chance his stint with his new franchise extends beyond the upcoming campaign?
As media day approaches and Simons remains on the roster, Jayson Tatum weighed in on the Celtics' most notable offseason acquisition.
"He's been very, very good in the NBA, and now we're bringing him into an environment where the expectations are different," Tatum told Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today Sports. "He's an unbelievable player and I think he'll thrive in a situation like this."
Anfernee Simons' fit with the Celtics
Offensively, Simons fits like a glove. He averaged 19.3 points last season. The seven-year veteran is a career 15-point-per-game scorer. Most of that comes from being a potent, high-volume three-point shooter.
Simons is averaging 6.5 career attempts from behind the arc. He has hoisted at least 8.5 in each of the last three years. The former Portland Trail Blazers guard is effective off the dribble and on catch-and-shoot opportunities from three-point range.
He was 13th among players launching at least 3.5 pull-up threes per contest during the 2024-25 season, per NBA.com. The 26-year-old buried 34.7 percent of his 4.2 tries on those looks. He also converted on 37.7 percent of the 4.3 catch-and-shoot 3s he attempted.
He's also a better facilitator than some might realize. Simons has turned his opportunities as a primary ball handler into dishing out 4.5 assists per tilt through the last four seasons.
He is the lone player on Boston's roster with at least a year's worth of experience as the top-offensive option opposing teams are game planning for. That he could utilize that effectively as a scorer and distributor is noteworthy. The Celtics want dynamic players who are threats shooting, passing, and when they put the ball on the floor. Simons checks all three boxes.
Defensively, the question is whether he can show more in Boston's infrastructure. To his credit, Simons utilized his six-foot-seven wingspan to generate 1.2 deflections and nearly 1.0 steals per game last season, per NBA.com.
While undersized, that length allows him to make an impact on and off the ball. Foot speed certainly isn't an issue, either. In a contract year, he has every incentive to show his commitment to being a two-way player.
As the Celtics get more familiar with Simons, that could influence whether they believe he's worth the projected cost to keep working with him beyond this season.