For those of you who value analytics, Anfernee Simons is having one of the worst seasons of all time

Bottom 5 in the league in offensive player impact plus minus

Bottom 5 in the league in defensive player impact plus minus

Worst multi-year PIPM (-4.6)

Last in the league in wins added (-2.2)

Last in the league in PIPM (-5.1)


Anfernee Simons has a worse PIPM this year than Kevin Knox (-4.90) last year.

Only 21 times in the 10-year PIPM database has someone recorded a worse single-season mark than Simons in 2019-20.

He’s played 1200 min this year. Turns out a handful of garbage time games isn’t a good sample size. Neil put way too much stock in him. He was set on Anfernee being a rotation player with or without the injuries.

 

Don't worry, Neil told us he's the next Michael Jordan. And Neil never lies or overhypes his players, never. So be patient A$AP Meyers!

 

Yeah, that's super accurate!

 

God he’s trash. I’ve said it all season. I hate watching him play

 

So glad I started using the ignore button.

 

He's been a problem. He looked great at the start of the season. And then I suppose he got scouted and hasn't adjusted. People here often complain that Stotts doesn't play or develop his young players. Well, this is a clear example of the organization making a point to develop a young player by giving him regular rotation minutes no matter what. I'm not going to judge Anfernee Simons' future right now. It took CJ til his 3rd season to put it all together. Yes, CJ had injuries but it was still a steep learning curve.

 

So you only want opinions that match yours?

I only ignore 1 person here, and it's @SlyPokerDog. I don't have him on ignore, I just don't listen to anything he says

 

Too bad no one has posted my method. I don't even know where the Ignore button is. I simply never read anyone's posts but my own. I don't have anyone on Ignore. I just don't listen to anything they say.

 

I know right it’s ridiculous and annoying ppl think Simons is good when he isn’t

 

Where'd I say that? You're not on my ignore list.

 

Simons might have potential so far this year has been a bust for him. (I'm not saying his career is a bust).

 

We agree on most things

 

I don't start actually evaluating a young player going in there 3 year. Then he has demonstrate then he can help either offense or defense. Then future along the line in his he becomes that player can play both ends. I see want has hurt Simons is he try to much be like CJ and Dame. He can't be that player at this time due he just not strong enough for one and two he just not a point guard he more off guard. He show some glimpse what he can do offensely but defense strength is one of his issue right now. With Trent has now has his hand tightly around the backup 2 and if Simons can't play point guard not very good I see Olshey will eventually trade either Trent or Simons in the near future. But the problem with Olshey when he get stuck in his mind how good someone he thinks is good and won't admit he was wrong on player he will trade the wrong player just to get the player he thinks is good the opportunity to play.

 

Not that context matters to you and your three monikers but he's one of only three High Schoolers drafted since 2006: Satnam Singh Thon Maker Simons

 

I'm willing to accept that this is for all intents and purposes his rookie season, and we're asking too much of him at once. That said, it's been brutal.

 

Simons is a case where you have a huge disconnect between talent and skill. He bluffed his way into the NBA without ever learning how to actually play basketball at a high level. This is a good example of why allowing the drafting of high school kids is contrary to the best interests of the league.

 

I value analytics and I value stats. I also value context and observation

all those things tell me Simons isn't even the worst blazer this year. Certainly, he's having a bad year but the worst thing he had going for him was Olshey idiotically and massively over-hyping Simons last summer. Hyping up an unknown player with no established game is acceptable for a poster here or some blogger with a well stocked liquor cabinet, but for a GM to do it is inexcusable. Simons needed a near all-star season to match the expectations Olshey built. Worse is that the roster construction was such that Portland was depending on Simons producing at a decent level while also sharing some PG duties. That's been a bust that has cost Portland this year

as far as Simons and his game, yeah it's bad at this point. He's had the advantages of two summer leagues, two off-seasons, and two training camps. But thanks to the GM, he has the burden of jumping from a rarely played rookie to a consistent rotational player without actually having earned those minutes. He wasn't ready for a sink or swim role. He's shown flashes on offense; and he has good athleticism, but that really isn't worth much if it isn't an adjunct to actual skills (just ask Martell Webster). He has a worse assist rate than Swanigan, that's a concern. But he has a real low turnover rate; part of that is because he doesn't pass much, but still, that's a positive for a ball-handler with little experience.

It's hard to project where he'll end up as a scorer and shooter. I can see him significantly improving his efficiency as he settles into his game and develops better shot selection. That happens for a lot of 2nd year players as they transition into their 3rd season. On the other hand, he could just become another low-efficiency, moderate-usage chucker who will never top average shooting marks. There are dozens of them throughout the NBA and all of them have shown "flashes" at times

Defensively....my god he's bad. He makes Dame & CJ look like Gary Payton & Tony Allen. Portland is one of the worst defensive teams in the league, 27th in defensive rating, yet Simons is actually 4 points worse than the team, and that's while primarily playing against 2nd units.

Olshey isn't going to give up on Simons till about his 6th or 7th season, so we'll have plenty of time for this debate to develop. And while I said that the worst thing Simons had going for him was the absurd hype of last summer, maybe the 2nd worst thing has been the contrast between Simons and Trent. There were no expectations for Trent, and look how that's turned out

 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-nba-player-ratings/

Melo isn't that much better. Sheesh

 

It's sad that he essentially can't be sent to the G-League now because that would be seen as horribly disrespectful, but that's what the G-League was supposed to be for.

 

Um, he can't be sent to the G-League because we only have like 9 healthy players right now.