Editor’s Note: Welp! This published more or less simultaneously with the news dropping that Simons is going to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. So consider this piece more or less a theory of the skills Toronto needs, rather than a specific argument for Simons personally.
If the Toronto Raptors are going to want to be a legit threat next season, they still need to make some adjustments to the roster. One obvious move this offseason is signing Anfernee Simons. He is still out there (for now), and he actually fits. Whether Toronto wants scoring, shooting, driving, or bench stability, Simons checks every box.
Simons split time last season between the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics, averaging 14.3 points per game while shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc in 61 games. He is not considered a superstar, and that is fine because he does not need to be in Toronto.
Simons is the kind of guard who can come off the bench or start depending on the night and fill the bucket in a bunch of different ways.
At this time, he is 27 years old, was originally drafted 24th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2018, and at this stage you pretty much know what you are getting: a scoring guard who can get hot quickly and space the floor.
For his career, he has averaged 14.9 points per game, shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three, and 88.1 percent at the line. Toronto desperately needs those kinds of shooting numbers from guys who can come off their bench. And it’s not just standstill shooting; last season, he attempted 3.3 pull-up triples per game. As a team, the Raptors attempted only 3.9. Simons isn’t a pick-and-roll wizard, but his pull-up shooting in such scenarios would give Toronto a weapon that only Immanuel Quickley and Kawhi Leonard can match among currently rostered players.
The Raptors were just 26th in made threes last season and 21st in percentage at 35.4 percent. There were too many nights where the floor just felt cramped, especially when the offence slowed down. The Raps are a great team at scoring in the paint, but that doesn’t translate well with their outside shooting numbers. When Simons was wide open last season, he shot almost 50 percent on triples. That would be a potent weapon alongside Leonard.
Right now the Raps only have two good deep threats coming off their bench after losing Gradey Dick in the Kawhi deal. Jamison Battle is a talented sharpshooter, but his defence keeps him off the court. Ja’Kobe Walter was the only Raptors player taking at least three threes per game and knocking them down at a 40 percent clip. Just having two of those guys won’t cut it.
Getting a bench scorer is even more important now with Kawhi Leonard back in the mix. When Toronto won the championship in 2019, they had multiple guys like Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell and Jeremy Lin who could hit shots and keep the defence honest. Leonard will create space by virtue of his scoring. Scottie Barnes will be phenomenal at making sure the ball gets to the right spot within that space. But who will ensure it actually goes in the hole at those times?
Simons can take over that same role. It won’t be simple, though. The cap situation is tight, and he has got interest elsewhere. The Dallas Mavericks have been mentioned, and the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat have also been linked. Simons will need to take a paycut, perhaps in search of contributing to a real championship contender on a short-term deal in order to boost his next contract.
It’s unclear how likely that is. However, if there is a way to make it work financially, this is the type of move that could go a long way.
