As expected, Simons took on more offensive responsibility during the 2023-24 season, serving as the primary scoring option following the departure of Damian Lillard. Simons rounded out the season with averages of 22.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 3.4 three-pointers in 34.4 minutes per game. Sadly, his season was bookended by ankle and knee injuries, limiting him to just 46 games. The Trail Blazers are in a rebuilding phase, something that seems likely to continue for at least the next 12 months. Heading into the 2024-25 season, Simons is likely to once again be utilized as the first or second option on offense, giving him a relatively safe fantasy floor. He will have to share the ball with Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, both of whom will be looking to put together strong seasons of their own. Lack of team success could result in missed games down the stretch, something that managers will need to account for when drafting Portland players. As a potential 23+ point scorer, Simons is worth considering as early as the sixth round, although nabbing him in the seventh round feels less fraught with risk. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a four-year, $100 million contract with the Trail Blazers in July of 2022.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Anfernee Tyrik Simons, son of Charles and Tameka, was born in 1999 in Longwood, Florida. Named after NBA superstar Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Simons graduated from Edgewater High School in 2017 after transferring from Montverde Academy, where he starred as a junior. From Edgewater, he attended IMG Academy and represented the US on the Men's National Under-19 team. After originally committing to play college ball at Louisville, Simons reopened his recruiting period after a coaching change and later declared for the Draft immediately after his post-graduate year at IMG. In doing so, he became the first American drafted out of high school since the league began implementing age restriction policies in 2005. You can follow Simons on Twitter @AnferneeSimons and on Instagram @antsimons. He also runs and maintains a website, theaferneesimons.com, which provides updates on his charity partnerships and sells custom merchandise. Prior to becoming Portland's first-round draft choice in 2018, Anfernee Simons was selected as the 2017 Florida Class 7A Player of the Year at Edgewater High School in Orlando after appearing in 20 games and posting averages of 23.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks during his senior season. He then reclassified to the Class of 2018, delaying his college decision for another year. Simons spent a postgraduate year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida after collecting his high school diploma. Ultimately, he bypassed scholarship offers from top programs across the nation and instead chose to enter the Draft.
Officially out for finale
GPortland Trail Blazers
Knee
April 14, 2024
Simons (knee) will not play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Kings.
ANALYSIS No surprise here, as Simons has not played since March 22 and was deemed doubtful before the game. He will finish the season with career-high averages of 22.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.4 triples across 34.4 minutes per game. The 24-year-old has two more years remaining on his current contract.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
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2018
Stat Review
How does Anfernee Simons compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
56.8%
Effective Field Goal %
52.3%
3-Point Attempt Rate
48.4%
Free Throw Rate
21.3%
Offensive Rebound %
1.5%
Defensive Rebound %
10.9%
Total Rebound %
5.9%
Assist %
27.6%
Steal %
0.6%
Block %
0.3%
Turnover %
9.7%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
34.3
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.0
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Trail Blazers Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Anfernee Simons was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
It feels as though Simons has been on the cusp of a breakout for two years now. Although he put up career-high numbers in basically every category, he has yet to take the next step in terms of reaching elite status. He closed the 2022-23 season as the 101st-ranked player, averaging 21.1 points per game, adding 4.1 assists, 0.7 steals and 3.4 made three-pointers. The arrival of Scoot Henderson was somewhat negated by the departure of Damian Lillard this offseason, so Simons may find himself in a similar position as last year, though he could take on more usage as the veteran presence in a very young backcourt. Simons certainly has the ability to crack the top 100 while operating as a top offensive option for a rebuilding Portland squad, but there are still a few unanswered questions surrounding his fantasy value.
After three years of toiling in a bench role for the Trail Blazers, Simons finally graduated to a starting job midway through 2021-22 and took advantage of the opportunity, averaging 23.4 points, 5.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds over 35.5 minutes per game in a 27-game stretch before a knee injury prematurely ended his campaign. Simons' efforts earned him a four-year, $100 million contract extension this offseason and position him for a consistently large role heading into 2022-23. Simons should pair with Damian Lillard to form the team's primary backcourt, though 2022 NBA Draft seventh overall pick Shaedon Sharpe also joins the mix. Simons also blossomed from a fantasy perspective last season, shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from deep and 88.8 percent from the charity stripe while knocking down 3.1 three-point shots per contest (4.4 in the final 27). While he may not match his output with Lillard back and set to start on the ball, Simons should still see plenty of usage with CJ McCollum out of the picture. His multi-category contributions should be enough to make him an intriguing option in many draft formats.
In his third season, the Simons had nearly identical production as his sophomore season. Ironically, the Slam Dunk Champion's three-point shooting was the one thing that improved drastically, as he made 1.9 threes per game and shot 42.6 percent compared to 1.1 threes and a 33.2 percent clip in 2019-20. Simons figures to play a similar role this season as one of the first guards coming off the bench behind starters Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. As he only dished out 1.4 assists per game in his last two seasons, his fantasy relevance is limited unless he can drastically improve his playmaking skills.
The young guard saw returned for his second season with Portland and experienced substantial jumps in playing time and production in 2019-20. Simons averaged 8.3 points, 2.2 boards, 1.4 assists and 1.1 triples across 20.7 minutes - all career highs. Simons started four games and provided quality numbers across 35.0 minutes in those instances. This season, Simons is set up nicely to see similar playing time as the primary backup at point guard behind Damian Lillard. Portland's lack of depth at the position favors Simons, who figures to be a key part of the Blazers' second unit in 2020-21. He's unlikely to be a strong contributor across multiple categories, but if you're looking for scoring, Simons will probably carve out a role as an offensive spark off the bench, and he can be drafted in deeper fantasy leagues.
Simons' rookie season in 2018-19 season was pretty uneventful, as he was buried on the bench behind star guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in addition to Evan Turner, who commonly operated as the team's backup point guard. He did, however, get extended minutes in the final game of the regular season when Portland rested most of its key players and gave Simons a starting nod. In that game, Simons put on an incredible performance, recording 37 points, six rebounds and nine assists in 48 minutes. He shot 7-of-11 from behind the arc and 13-of-21 from the field overall in that time. Now, with Turner being dealt to Atlanta this offseason and Simons having a year of NBA experience under his belt, the Trail Blazers appear to believe Simons is ready for a consistent role in the team's rotation. That role will likely still be fairly limited, as star point guard Damian Lillard rarely misses games and has consistently played over 35 minutes per game over the course of his career. But with Portland seemingly all-in on Simons as their primary backup to Lillard, the second-year player could carry some value in deeper leagues.
Simons was nabbed by the Trail Blazers with the 24th overall pick this past June, with the 19-year-old making the leap directly from Florida’s IMG Academy to the pro game. Simons looked impressive in Las Vegas Summer League play, averaging 11.0 points (on 43.0 percent shooting), 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steal across 20.0 minutes over six games. Simons projects as capable of playing both guard spots at the NBA level and boasts a 6-foot-9 wingspan, but there doesn't appear to be much opportunity for him in the Trail Blazers’ backcourt this coming season. Consequently, a year of seasoning at the G-League level likely awaits, although a combination of accelerated development and injuries at the NBA level could potentially see him make his NBA regular-season debut at some point in the coming season.
More Fantasy News
Doubtful to play Sunday
GPortland Trail Blazers
Knee
April 13, 2024
Simons (knee) is doubtful to play Sunday against the Kings.
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Will remain sidelined Friday
GPortland Trail Blazers
Knee
April 12, 2024
Simons (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Rockets.
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Out again Thursday
GPortland Trail Blazers
Knee
April 10, 2024
Simons (knee) won't play in Thursday's game against Golden State.
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Remains out Sunday
GPortland Trail Blazers
Knee
April 6, 2024
Simons (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Celtics.
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Won't play Friday
GPortland Trail Blazers
Knee
April 4, 2024
Simons (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Wizards.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
ANALYSIS This isn't exactly a surprise, as Simons is one of the cornerstones of the Trail Blazers' rebuilding process, but it means Scoot Henderson, who was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, will likely come off the bench. Expect Simons to operate as Portland's go-to player on offense after he delivered career-high averages of 22.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.4 triples across 34.4 minutes per game in 46 starts during the 2023-24 campaign.