2024-03-24 08:47:13
The Trail Blazers are clearly rebuilding this season. In a season where success is not a metric, the Trail Blazers have gotten a good sign: Anfernee Simons has developed into an ace star.
Before the start of the 2023-24 season, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups are constantly discussing an issue. Which players are strong candidate lists for the Trail Blazers in the process of rebuilding? Mesozoic Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton, and The new generation Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe are key candidates, but these decision-makers are not sure who can fill the star vacancy after Damian Lillard leaves.
Cronin said at the time that it all depends on which player is more determined to win the position.
At this time, there is a player who is full of ambitions to shoulder the ace of the post-Lillard era. “Every night I show full fighting spirit and want to take responsibility.” Simons said, averaging 22.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game this season. Both set career highs, while shooting 38.5% from three-point range. He is also the current scoring leader in the Trail Blazers.
“I think Ant is heading in that direction, and he’s the best offensive player on the team right now, but there’s still a ways to go,” Billups said. “Right now, we don’t have a reliable ball-handling spot where we can put the ball in a comfortable position. The position is passed to him and someone who allows the team to find a rhythm in the first four to five minutes of the game. We don’t have players like that and that’s what we have to work on.”
Billups’ comments were considered by many to be too harsh and harsh, but Simons saw them as a challenge. “I probably understand what he meant. Stability is the biggest problem for the team,” Simons said. “I also think he is right. , after all, I wanted him to guide me strictly from the beginning.”
This season is Simons’ sixth season in his career and his second year as a full-time starter. In the first five seasons, Simons would often get nervous or lose his rhythm due to changes in the opponent’s defensive strategy, but in the 2023-24 season, he clearly felt that he was more calm and leisurely in the game. “I now understand why some senior players say that the longer they play, the more they feel the game. The slower.” Simons is now more decisive and determined on the court. “I can probably know the opponent’s reaction, which allows me to focus on playing instead of overthinking.”
This is an important level improvement for defenders. Players with experience or talent can usually get into the state quickly, or as many senior players say “act fast, think slow”, which means making decisions quickly and carefully on the court. Be decisive, but consider the configuration of any corner of the field.
The Trail Blazers currently lack an Alpha role who can solve problems when the team is in adversity. If Simons wants to advance to alpha, he most needs to find stability. The most important role model for Simons to follow is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who this season became the 13th player in history to score more than 30 points in 50 games in a single season. Simons also scored in single digits several times.
The second step is to avoid the things you are not good at and optimize the things you are good at. Simons served as a backup shooter when Lillard and CJ McCollum were not on the court in the first three seasons, and this was also an area where he was expected to excel before the draft. Starting from the 2022-23 season, after Simons was pulled into the starting lineup, he relied on his shooting threat to create better entry paths, and he began to shoulder more tasks of holding the ball and passing the ball.
Simons’ ball-handling attack has improved significantly, and his changes and stability after cutting have been significantly improved. Especially after being double-teamed, he is more delicate in handling the ball. With the ball-handling rounds significantly improved this season, the assist-to-turnover ratio (2.02) can also improve. valuable
However, according to NBA official data, among 117 guards who have played 30 games and averaged more than 20 minutes per game, Simons ranks only 80th. This is not entirely Simons’s personal problem. The biggest problem is that the Trail Blazers do not have an offensive system that can operate stably. The team’s offensive routine is too simple for opponents to predict. In many rounds, players are forced to use their personal abilities to attack. breakthrough. Furthermore, the other players who received the assist did not have high finishing ability, which also prevented Simons from getting the assist even if the pass was in place. Finally, Scoot Henderson, who was originally scheduled to take over as the point guard, is still adapting, so Simons often has to passively take over some ball-handling tasks.
And Simons also showed in some aspects that he has the qualities to become an Alpha, especially his performance at critical moments. This season, Simons’ 4.4 points at critical moments ranked third in the league, second only to Stephen Curry and DeMar DeRozan. He also had amazing shooting measurements of 51.6%, 40% and 95.2%, and almost single-handedly carried more than half of the team’s firepower output. .
In January 2024, when the Trail Blazers faced the Nets, the two sides were tied at 103 in the last 5 seconds. Simons was responsible for the last shot. Mikal Bridges, who was facing him, was obviously wary of his outside line. From the two big shots in front of the three-point line, Simons started to get close with every step, and Simons only paused for a beat at the three-point line before accelerating and cutting past Bridges and hitting the throw, which was a sure win for his opponent.
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