NBA SG Rankings: Where is Anfernee Simons of the Trail Blazers?

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons really came into his own last season without Damian Lillard in the backcourt.

Simons took on the role of top-scoring guard and posted some of the best numbers of his career: In 46 games for the Blazers, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game and shot 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.

This is one of the reasons HoopsHype writer Frank Urbina listed Simons as the 17th best shooting guard in his league rankings.

Blazers second guard Anfernee Simons (for now) may not even be in Portland when the season begins, as the 25-year-old was the subject of various transfer rumors in the offseason, which makes sense since the team is still in the early stages of a rebuild and is still far from playoff chances.

Simons has been quite effective over the past two seasons, averaging 21.7 points and 4.7 assists on 38.1 percent shooting from the three-point line over the past two seasons. His potential trade value to the Blazers is further enhanced by the fact that he can play both on- and off-ball guard, making him a versatile weapon on offense.

We'll see what the future holds for this exciting IMG Academy product, but whether in Portland or elsewhere, the explosive Simons with his good dribbling skills should continue to put up good numbers in the 2024/25 season.

The Blazers know how good Simons is and how much better he can get. That's one reason they're hesitant to trade him to another team. The best players on rebuilt rosters are tradeables, and the Blazers have a good player in Simons, so they're not willing to take any deal for him.

Otherwise, he can stay in Portland and continue to increase his value.