The Portland Trail Blazers are looking quite good this season when many fans weren’t expecting much from them. At 11-8, the Blazers are tied for the 3rd best record in the Western Conference and have claimed some impressive wins this season. Damian Lillard’s return has had a lot to do with that, but the Blazers are also getting excellent production out of Jerami Grant and budding star Anfernee Simons.
Simons has firmly established himself as a borderline All-Star this season, he is averaging over 23 points per game and shooting almost 37% from three-point range. He has made himself an excellent option for the Blazers, providing necessary scoring while also occasionally distributing the ball. For any young guard, there can be no better player to learn from daily than Damian Lillard, and Simons has been making the most of his opportunity if he is to be believed.
Anfernee Simons Revealed How He Has Grown His Game By Learning From Damian Lillard
Simons is only 23, which means he was watching the NBA as a fan in his formative years when Damian Lillard established himself in the league. Watching Dame Time can be helpful enough for any youngster on its own, but for Simons, who was on track to make the NBA, it must have been invaluable. And since 2018, he has been getting to learn firsthand from the master, and it has left an impact.
“It just came from watching him my whole career. Now we work with the same trainer. I try and emulate his moves because I see it works at a high level.”
The NBA is all about figuring out your role, this is something Draymond Green once explained to a group of young hopefuls. Not everyone can emulate the greats, but putting in the work yields results, and that’s what is happening for Simons at the minute. His stats this season are not far behind Dame’s, and eventually, he could become just as good as Lillard has been in his career.
The Blazers traded away Lillard’s long-time backcourt mate CJ McCollum, but Simons is ably assisting Dame and pulling his weight on the court already. If he can also develop a clutch gene and start taking over games in the years to come, he has a legitimate chance of becoming Lillard’s successor, he is locked in with the Blazers.
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