After trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, Anfernee Simons was entrusted to lead the Portland Trail Blazers’ young backcourt. However, that plan lasted just one game as Simons suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb as Portland fell to 127-111 on Wednesday night. According to the Athletic’s Shams Charania, Simons will undergo surgery on the thumb and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
Trail Blazers say Anfernee Simons will undergo surgery for a UCL tear in right thumb and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2023
NBA Rumors: Shaedon Sharpe Primed For Breakout Season
Simons got hurt in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. Before leaving the game, the 24-year-old combo guard was having an excellent debut. Simons finished with 18 points against the Clippers on 6 of 14 shooting, including 2 of 6 from the 3-point line. He also came up with four assists and two steals.
The injury is a significant setback for both Simons, who signed a four-year, $100 million extension in July. Simons was coming off a career season last year and was expected to take another step in his development. However, he has failed to stay healthy yet again. With Bleacher Report’s projection of a December 11 return, Portland’s 20th game means that Simons will play fewer than 64 games for the fourth straight year. The 2018 first-round pick has played 70 games just once.
Here are a few thoughts from the Athletic’s Jason Quick on what Simons’ injury means to Portland.
“Already a leading contender for finishing with the NBA’s worst record, Simons’ injury will likely ensure the Blazers finish with a bottom-three record. He was their leading returning scorer from last season, and he was one of the few bright spots in Portland’s season-opening loss at the Clippers. On a team short on experience and familiarity with the offense, Simons was essential to the Blazers’ hope to be competitive. “
Simons started alongside Scoot Henderson in the season opener. While the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft finished with 11 points, on 5 of 11 shooting, he was 0 of 3 from the beyond theard. Henderson also had four assists and four turnovers while posting a -16 plus/minus.
Who Takes Simons’ Spot At Shooting Guard?
As expected, second-year pro Shaedon Sharpe started in place of Simon against the Orlando Magic on Friday. Sharpe is expected to be the starter for the immediate future.
“More Shannon Sharpe. If there is a silver lining to Simons’ absence, it’s the opening it creates for Sharpe, the promising second-year wing, Quick wrote. “Sharpe is one of the three young pillars of the Blazers’ rebuild. At the end of last season, Sharpe showed he has the qualities to be a go-to-player, averaging 23.7 points in the season’s final 10 games.”
After a solid 2023-24 season debut, Sharpe led the way in the Blazers 102-97 setback to the Orlando Magic on Friday night. Sharpe poured in a game-high 24 points in 41 minutes. While he was highly inefficient, making just 9 of 23 shots from the field, Sharpe did knock down 4 of 11 3-pointers. The 6-5 wing also grabbed five rebounds, doled two assists, and came up with a pair of steals.
Sharpe does have a few things to continue to work on. First and foremost, the 20-year-old needs to be a more consistent shooter. He also needs to get to the free-throw line much more. Sharpe averaged 1.3 free throws last year and is 3 of 3 from the charity stripe this season.
Malcolm Brogdon will also see a bump in on-court time with Simons out. The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year saw 31 minutes of action after seeing 23 minutes in the season opener. Brogdon is off to a good start as he averages 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists through the first two games. He is shooting 45.2% from the field and 45.5% from the 3-point line.
