Wearing a Celtics uniform has challenged Anfernee Simons in more ways than the 26-year-old could have imagined this past offseason.
The transition from a cemented starter in Portland to a platoon contributor in Boston — coming off the bench but expected to deliver starter-level production — hasn’t been easy. Simons joined an understaffed Celtics team, uncertain about several things: his contract status, the team’s commitment to compete, and even which jersey number would be available (24 have been retired).
But nothing was as uncertain as Simons’ role with the team heading into the 2025-26 Jayson Tatum-less season.
Simons embraced the unknown. During the preseason, the sharpshooting guard showed flashes, averaging 17.7 points and hitting 3-pointers at a 40% clip. He quickly emerged as a candidate for the starting lineup but ultimately didn’t get the nod — not due to a lack of trust, but because the rotation favored Payton Pritchard as Derrick White’s running mate instead, making Simons the de facto sixth man. And aside from a few bumps and bruises during the acclimation process, Simons has begun to really find his stride in Boston.
On Sunday, as the Celtics hosted the Magic at TD Garden, Simons delivered a crucial 23-point performance off the bench. He went 8-of-11 from the field, marking his most efficient shooting night (72.7%) so far in games where he attempted at least 10 shots, helping Boston fend off Orlando’s comeback bid.
To Simons, the formula for cooking up performances alike isn’t all that complex.
“Honestly, just keeping it simple,” Simons said after Boston’s 138-129 win. “In previous years, that was kind of my thing — easing into the game, seeing how teams guarded me, and then becoming more aggressive in the second half. Here, I obviously don’t have that much time to ease into games, so I’m just taking the opportunities that are there, being myself, being aggressive, and making the right plays as well.”
The Celtics came fresh off allowing Brooklyn to net its third win of the season on Friday night, and Simons helped the team clean up its mistakes. He didn’t commit a single turnover, while Boston as a whole finished with just five, tying its season-low mark.
Last Sunday, Simons played just 12 minutes and attempted only two shots — both season lows — against the Clippers. His limited playing time wasn’t due to injury; it reflected the coaching staff’s decision that Simons needed a brief reset. In the two games prior, against the Grizzlies and Sixers, Simons shot below 34% from the field, failing to provide the Celtics with the consistent 3-point threat they needed. It wasn’t cause to panic, but enough to force Simons to take a breather.
That’s a departure from how the past seven seasons have gone for Simons as a professional basketball player.
In Portland, Simons approached the game differently than he’s strived to in Boston.
“It’s for sure an adjustment,” Simons explained. “Like I said before, the past couple of years when you start and teams guard you aggressively from the jump, you’ve got to take your time, read the game, and figure out the best way to attack it. That was my thought process going into every game. Now everything is flipped, so it’s a change in how you approach each game and how you handle the small things — what Joe (Mazzulla) wants me to do, what the coaching staff wants me to do, while still being myself.”
Simons is averaging 14.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 44.8%, including 41.1% from three. Those numbers aren’t strong enough to earn him early All-Star consideration, but Boston is more focused on the process. As the team’s premier offseason acquisition, Simons’ retention — rather than a salary dump trade — signaled the organization’s genuine interest in him.
The Celtics watched as Simons got crafty off the dribble against the Magic, using lethal step-back 3-pointers and seizing the right moments to turn his created space into drives to the rim. By halftime, he had already reached 16 points en route to finishing as Boston’s second leading scorer behind Jaylen Brown (35 points).
“He’s playing his role really well,” Mazzulla said. “I think he’s given us everything. He’s trying to understand the system, he’s learning, he’s competing. He’s getting more comfortable coming off the bench and being aggressive right away. In the first few games he was easing into it, but in the last few he’s been what we need him to be. He’s done a great job of that, scoring in a bunch of ways.”
Simons has scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the Celtics, signaling that brighter days may be ahead as he looks to turn his early-season slump into a minor hiccup.
Boston’s situation isn’t what Portland offered Simons last season. The urgency to win is greater with the Celtics, and Simons is expected to produce consistently, no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances. That adaptation isn’t seamless, even for a veteran who’s played in over 400 NBA games.
“Obviously, the human side, it’s not easy,” Simons said. “Just feeling like, what could I have done better? But also just controlling the controllables and living with the results after that. That’s what I’ve been trying to hammer down over the past couple of games — just controlling the controllables and letting everything fall into place.”
