PHILADELPHIA -- As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare to move forward in a season they are expected to contend for a championship, it will be important for the supporting cast to know their roles and understand what it will take to thrive next to elite shot creators like Jaylen Brown and LeBron James.
For new addition Anfernee Simons, he was able to show just how easy life is when those types of players are on the floor and attracting so much defensive attention. In Philadelphia's season opening win over the New York Knicks, Simons scored 13 points and knocked down three triples in the third quarter, mainly off Brown being able to get into the paint and kick it out to open shooters.
"Just playing off the creators we got on the team," Simons explained.
"I think all those three 3s came off of JB drives and he was able to get to the paint. So that’s kind of my job and what I was able to do was just space the floor. Whenever they need me to go out and be aggressive on-ball, I’ll do that, as well. But for the most part, moving off-ball is going to be very important for us as a team – myself, as well."
Yes, life can be easy on this Sixers team for somebody like Simons. An offensive dynamo himself, he can thrive playing next to James, Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe and really make a huge impact on offense due to his shooting prowess. His teammates are the ones pushing him to shoot the ball. Shots didn't fall early in New York, but they fell late. Just gotta keep taking the open ones.
"I feel like throughout the whole night, we were getting good shots, whether it was from Bron or JB or Tyrese of VJ or even Joel (Embiid) in the post," Simons added. "We were getting the right shots. We just wasn’t knocking them down. The second half, I was able to get a couple good ones and we got hot in the third quarter."
As Simons continues to get comfortable with the Sixers, it always helps being around somebody like Brown as the two were teammates for a brief time while with the Boston Celtics in 2025-26 before Simons was moved to the Chicago Bulls at the deadline.
"Just me being on the opposite side of him (Brown), obviously, you know, in his post ups, ISOs, me just being on the opposite wing, understanding where I need to be for him to have an outlet," Simons explained. "I think he's seen that on multiple times last game, where he got to the paint. I was able to find a window to get open for a 3, and I think that just contributes to what we went through last year. So, I look forward to continuing with him and also everybody else."
The Sixers will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday before then hosting the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons for a back-to-back over the weekend.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers sharpshooter credits Jaylen Brown, LeBron James for creation
