Anfernee Simons Finally Showed 76ers Why They Signed Him

When the Philadelphia 76ers took out the Indiana Pacers, it wasn’t without the help of the offseason addition of Anfernee Simons.  

Simons had a season-high 20 points off the bench nailing six three-pointers in the process. This is the kind of performance the 76ers were expecting when they signed him to his two-year contract worth over 12 million.  More importantly, he silenced many of the fans who wanted him out, as he had yet to perform to the caliber that many expected of him.

But let’s be honest, no one on the bench is doing what was expected of them. But for now, let’s focus on Simons.

When the eighth-year guard was brought onto this team, he was expected to contend for a potential Sixth Man of the Year Award. He even stated in a past interview how he wanted to be a winner of the title. Well, so far, he’s done very little to even be a thought for the award. Through five games, Simons has averaged 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.

Nothing about those numbers gives off the idea that Simons could have a chance to be a sixth man, let alone win the moniker of sixth man of the year. What’s so upsetting about all this is that he can be a prolific scorer like many saw against the Pacers. 

When he was with the Portland Trailblazers, he was a star. He averaged over 20 points a game and kept the Trailblazers relevant and in games in the years that they were a struggling franchise. That’s the player that the 76ers were hoping to acquire, and it just hasn’t worked out so far this season.

So now it’s a wonder of what is causing the disconnect? The style of play should work in his favor as a volume shooter. Even without that, he’s a good catch-and-shoot guard, as he converts 42.3 percent of those shots. Simons is definitely someone this team has to get going so that they don’t have to depend so much on their starting unit to win games. Simons has to put himself in the right position as well, or it’s just going to be a waste of his talents. Moving on the fastbreak or coming off a screen action seems to be the best way to get Simons some open looks. 

That’s going to have to be the way head coach Nick Nurse gets Simons involved, or he’ll have to look elsewhere. If Simons can have more performances like the one against the Pacers, it’ll make the offense that much more potent.