The 2018 NBA Draft featured now heavyweight names like Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Deandre Ayton. He also saw the Portland Trail Blazers take backhand shots on two young guards, Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr.
In a fun off-season exercise, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey ‘drafted’ the 2018 first round with the gift of four seasons of hindsight, seeing how things move. Bailey rates Portland’s scouting department nailed him this offseason, with both Blazers prospects up from their initial value.
Simons, a raw prospect at the time selected with the 24th pick of the IMG Academy, jumped all the way to the 10th pick of the Re-Draft. Bailey said the high placement may seem a little premature, but Simons’ offensive firepower was just as good last season.
Launching Anfernee Simons into the top 10 after just 35 career starts and a season with a double-digit average may seem premature, but that’s how explosive he was as a creator in 2021-22.
After Damian Lillard left the Portland Trail Blazers rotation with an abdominal injury, Simons averaged 23.4 points, 5.8 assists and 4.4 threes while shooting 42.3% from three . He rose to the role of No. 1 goalscorer and more.
The kind of self-creation that Simons showed carries a valuable tone in today’s NBA.
The fact that he spent much of his first three seasons playing alongside other guards is also encouraging. His 6’9″ wingspan allows him to play on the wing and increase the playmaking quotient in any formation.
Simons may never be an above average defender, but his offense should make up for that. The Blazers’ net rating was 10,6 points better with him was on the floor in 2021-22.
Simons’ rookie class teammate Trent Jr., now a member of the Toronto Raptors, i.e. rose 14 places in the Re-Draft. Taken with the 37th pick in the second round, Trent Jr moved up to 23rd place. Bailey cited Trent Jr.’s crack and potential for improvement — he’s still just 23 — for the rankings and why he was one spot higher than Grayson Allen.
Allen’s Duke teammate, Gary Trent Jr., has scored slightly more over the past three seasons, but he the train in terms of efficiency and catch-all parameters. There are several reasons why he gets the knot on Allen in the new draft.
First, and perhaps most importantly, Trent is over three years younger than Allen. That’s a lot of time in the NBA development world. It’s not hard to imagine him refining his shot (and shooting profile) at least where Allen is at the age of 26.
Trent’s other advantage over Allen is on extra inch and a half in scale. In today’s NBA, which has a lot of switches, even a little extra length can go a long way on defense.
Trent Jr.’s rise in the new draft is further testament to former Portland general manager Neil Olshey’s reputation as a second-round gem seeker. Other notable second-round selections during Olshey’s 10-year tenure include Pat Connaughton and Will Barton.
Trent Jr.’s departure at the trade deadline of his third season also continues Olshey’s trend of not keeping those picks too long. Barton was traded in his third season at the Denver nuggets. Connaughton left for free agency after his third year, becoming a key player for the Dollars de Milwaukee.
Elsewhere in Bailey’s Re-Draft, unsurprisingly, Doncic was picked with the first overall pick.
