Anfernee Simons Sheds Light On ‘No Days Off’ Mentality With Celtics
The Boston Celtics have spent the majority of their offseason unloading talented players, rather than bringing talented players to town. One guy who has bucked that trend, though, is guard Anfernee Simons, who was picked up from the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Jrue Holiday trade.
The No. 24 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Simons has gradually turned himself into a skilled scorer who can create looks at all three levels of the floor. Last season, Simons averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6% from the field.
With the C’s losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and likely Al Horford this offseason, they will be looking to Simons for a scoring punch this upcoming season. Of course, it’s also worth noting that Jayson Tatum is expected to miss the majority of the year after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in the playoffs.
In order for Simons to truly fit in with Boston, though, he’s going to need to improve parts of his game, particularly his shooting efficiency and his perimeter defense. He’s been in the gym frequently this offseason, and he recently revealed that he’s embracing a “no days off” mentality as he joins his new team.
“‘No days off’ would be you’re always using the time or day to get better,” Simons said in the NBA’s new “No Days Off” series. “Putting in the work is at the forefront of getting better, but also I think there’s a different element of being more intentional in the workouts that you do.”
The Celtics are going to look like a completely different team when they take the court to start the new season, and given how the front office is reportedly still looking to shed salary in an effort to duck under the second of the league’s new salary cap, there’s no guarantee Simons will be in Boston long.
In the event he does stay in town, though, Simons wants to give it his all and work on taking his game to another level. He certainly appears set to have a big opportunity on his plate now that he’s in Boston, and it will be interesting to see what he does with it.