Anfernee Simons faces the 2022-23 season with a demanding challenge after having made a notable qualitative leap last year. The ‘guard’ He proved his worth by averaging 23.4 points and 5.8 assists per game since taking over as the starter in early January. He now he will have to maintain this production while sharing back-court with Damian Lillard, a great star of the team and who is now back after overcoming his abdominal injury.
For now, the sample of three games played in preseason has returned more shadows than lights. In them, Simons has averaged 12.6 points, with 32.3% shooting from the field, and two assists. The one from Florida has recognized that he is still trying to adapt to this scenario. “I think I’m just trying to figure out how to play alongside Dame«Simons said, according to the media Oregon Live.
It’s certainly a major adjustment for the player in his fourth year in the NBA. In his first three seasons, Simons went from seeking regular minutes off the bench to emerging as the starting point guard during the second stretch of last season after Lillard’s injury. The return of this supposes a new learning process within the relevance that he has recently acquired.
“It’s a different dynamic than last year because I was the main generator on the ball at all times,” Simons continued. “So I’m just trying to figure out how to pick my spots on the court, be myself and shoot. Obviously, Dame is going to do what Dame does, so I’m just trying to figure out where I can best help the team and do my part.”
The one from Florida was asked concisely about his inconsistency in his shot, perhaps the facet of his game that has worried him the most this preseason. Still, Simons believes he’ll get his usual percentages back since he’s hooked up with Lillard. “That’s probably the thing I’m trying to figure out the most as we go through these preseason games,” he said.
(Cover photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
