Even setting aside the two major blockbuster additions in Philadelphia, Mike Gansey was lauded for what he did in his first offseason for the Sixers due to the improved depth pieces he brought into the fold.
Signing Dean Wade to a reasonable long-term deal was a nice bit of roster work, but something many people anticipated might happen due to their shared Cleveland connection. Signing Anfernee Simons to a two-year, $12.3 million deal (second year player option), though, was an unexpected, but strong
piece of free agency business.
After a few years of putting up numbers for a rebuilding Portland franchise, Simons found himself in a much different situation upon arriving in Boston as part of the Jrue Holiday trade prior to last season. He went from starting every game he appeared in across the prior three seasons for the Trail Blazers, to coming off the bench across all 49 appearances for the Celtics. The role seemed to suit him well, however, as his per-36 scoring average was only a shade under his numbers in Portland, and his 39.5 percent mark from three on 6.7 attempts per game was above his 38.1 percent career average. However, in a move that was partially motivated by the difference in contract values enabling the Celtics to dip under the first apron, Simons was then shipped to Chicago in February in exchange for Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic played poorly during his time with the Celtics, and his slow feet defensively were a huge on-court liability in the first-round series loss to the Sixers. Meanwhile, Simons only played a handful of games before aggravating a wrist fracture and missing the rest of the season. It’s hard to know how much of the absence was a case of Bulls tank-itis.
Now in Philadelphia, the Sixers will hope for Simons to reprieve his role from Boston as a lethal bench scorer. His presence as an effective, high-volume outside shooter is a sorely needed dimension for the team. His 39.5 percent three-point shooting mark while in Boston last season would have led all Sixers regulars, and his 6.7 attempts per game were more than all but Tyrese Maxey (8.6) and Paul George (6.9), who obviously played a lot more minutes. With stars like Maxey, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid drawing a ton of opposing defensive attention, Simons should see a plethora of open looks this season and he won’t hesitate to let them fly. By next summer, I won’t be surprised to see a lot of the Sixers’ best offensive five-man lineup combinations have included Simons in them.
The flip side of the coin and part of the reason he was available on such an affordable deal is that Simons is a dreadful defender. He showed improved effort on that end while with Boston, but there are size and strength disadvantages that are tough to overcome. Still, there won’t be any other perimeter defenders he shares the floor with who aren’t at least average (Labaron Philon is a bit of an unknown, but I’m optimistic), so Simons can usually take on the easiest assignment. The Sixers also aren’t typically going to be relying on him in crunch-time lineups so that area of his game shouldn’t be exposed as often. Just let him outshoot the one-dimensional players on the other team’s bench during those minutes.
Simons isn’t a perfect player, but he was kind of a perfect acquisition for the Sixers with what his high-volume shooting brings to them. In a normal offseason that might not go down as the best in franchise history, his signing could have been viewed as the best bit of business for the summer. As it stands, Simons represents another terrific puzzle piece for Nick Nurse to work with on what should be an improved bench unit behind the Sixers’ star-studded starting five.
