INDIANAPOLIS -- Philadelphia 76ers guard Anfernee Simons is off to a tough start in his first season with the team as he's shooting just 5-for-21 from deep through the first four games, but this is still the adapting period for the 9-year veteran. Throughout his NBA career, he's had to adjust to many different situations and different roles, but that's the NBA. That's how it works.
A first round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2018 out of IMG Academy, Simons is a career 38% shooter from deep, so he will figure it out, find a groove, and make a serious difference for the Sixers. He is a legitimate scorer and somebody who can take over games in the blink of an eye as soon as he catches that groove.
Before the Sixers took the floor on
Wednesday for their morning shootaround, Simons sat down with Sixers Wire and opened up on staying humble in the league, fitting next to Philadelphia's stars, and much more:
Editor's note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: As a kid, what made you fall in love with the game of basketball? What triggered that for you?
Simons: I think just being around the game. My dad played. He'll play in like local rec leagues and stuff. So like I'll always be with him everywhere playing where he was playing. So, I was just always running game. I just fell in love, you know, through that naturally.
Q: You went straight from high school to the NBA. I'm curious. What led to that decision to skip over college? I know you had the draft eligibility, but why not go the college route?
Simons: I was supposed to go to Louisville. (Rick) Pitino ended up getting fired. I had to reopen my recruitment late. My senior year was, like what, month it was? It might have been like October. So I had to restart my recruitment. I was committed there for like a year. So, I had to open my recruitment again, and in the midst of that, they told me in the draft and saying that I was gonna be a first round pick, so at that point, I was like ‘I really don't feel like taking all these visits from schools.’ By that point, most everybody committed to a school already, already signed, was getting ready to go there next year. So, I kind of had my options were kind of limited in that standpoint. But yeah, they said I was gonna be a first round pick. I was like, ‘I might as well at least test the waters’, and I had a few teams like me and I get drafted in the first round.
Q: You had a quote on media day that you don't like to acknowledge any big moments, but you're trying to embrace this one, specifically because you're playing with so many great players. Is that just your personality? You don't like to get too high or too low?
Simons: Yeah, I've always been like that since I was a little kid. I mean, that's always been my personality. I've never been an overly, like, emotional guy on the basketball court or in general. So, I always try to stay poised in the most chaotic moments. Obviously, my personality just helped me be in that moment, in those moments, because I never really got obviously too high or too low. So, I think for sure. I think sometimes you'll see some emotion come out, but for the most part, I'm usually just always trying to stay the same. Not trying to give too much of what I'm thinking of and how I'm feeling in that moment.
Q: Season nine for you. What's the biggest thing you've learned throughout your time in the league?
Simons: I think there could be a couple things. I think adapting to your role. I think I’ve played so many different roles during my time in the NBA. Just being able to take on the challenge of adapting to each one, each and every year. I think that's probably been, you know, sometimes the most frustrating part, and sometimes the most fun part about it once you get over that hump. So, I think that's the same here. Just embracing that role, learning new ways on how you can get better at your role mission every night. I think that's one of the fun parts about the NBA is that so many things can change at a certain moment, and you have to be able to adjust on the fly and be able to continue to be who you are, but also continue to do what the team needs you to do in order to win.
Q: That flows into my next question. Obviously, you've been a starter, you've come off the bench, and you've excelled in every role. What kind of mindset do you need to have that work for you?
Simons: At first, it starts with just humbling yourself. Understanding, obviously, like, I've been a starter. I’ve played at a high level as a starter, and this is a new role. So, you gotta understand having the confidence, like I can do this at a high level, but also understand like OK, my team might not need me to do that at the time. So I need to be able to find ways to impact the team in different ways that he might have not experienced before, and in doing that, it's just making you a better player. And it is preparing you for other roles you might have in the future. Whether it's been a shifting 3-and-D role where you’re picking up full and having to run corner to corner, shoot 3s, and come off screens and shoot 3s, instead of maybe you had the ball in your hands the whole game, running 1,000 pick-and-rolls, making plays for different players. So, that's like I said, that's the fun part about the NBA, to be honest. That you know you're able to get the most out of each experience and be able to show that you can play any role. That's value.
Q: Even that versatility that you're talking about, playing so many different roles, how has that prepared you for this moment? You're playing with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, handling offense. How has all of that prepared you for a role in Philly?
Simons: I think being able to do both. I think when I first came into the league, I started off as an off-ball guard. As I got to my second and third year, I was able to hit the ball a little bit more. By the time I got to my third year, I was playing backup point guard, being able to do that. And then fourth year, I was able to get a little bit more responsibility, and then that's when I kind of broke out that same year, and obviously, 5th year I started next to Dame (Damian Lillard). Sixth year, I was running full time point guard, and I was able to see the game in a different light. Going back again, like last year in Boston, going back to the bench, being able to adjust back to that role and then this role again this year, it's been fun, though.
Q: Everybody knows the expectations here. How do you handle that with all of the outside noise and the internal expectations that you all have for yourselves?
Simons: Just control what you can control. I think obviously, we have confidence in ourselves that we can accomplish, but it won't be easy. Obviously, it just won't be given to us, and so we understand that. We’re just focusing on how we can get better each and every day, and how we can improve from each and every game. Just build trust with each other, and building some continuity.
Sixers Wire: Thank you, Ant. I appreciate it.
Simons: I appreciate it
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Anfernee Simons opens up on staying humble, fitting with stars
