Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons isn’t having a good time. But with his team that’s so far behind the curve they haven’t passed go to collect their $200, it’s no wonder he doesn’t have a monopoly over his emotions.
“It’s been hard as ****,’’ he tells The Athletic’s Jason Quick. “I be having my bad days. I’m like anybody else. I call them my ‘human days,’ when I let things get to me a little bit. Obviously, it has had an effect on my game. That’s what I’m trying to get out of.’’
“It’s hard to explain it; some things just don’t feel right,’’ Simons continues. “It could be a bit of everything. I’m not going to point out one thing. Ultimately, I gotta do what I gotta do, and get out of my funk and figure out ways to overcome it. Ultimately, this is a test of faith, and a test of mental toughness and what I’m going to do to get myself out of this feeling.’’
Blazers’ Anfernee Simons Has Refreshing Trade Perspective
For as bad as Simons feels though, he won’t request a trade. In an era in which players seem to be asking for trades every few months, his perspective is refreshing.
“I can say how I feel, but I don’t think I’m in that position,’’ he explains. “There’s only a few players who can go in there and make (demands). I don’t think that’s my job. My job is to go out and play. If it’s something that serious, I would let my agent take care of it. But you think about what you want out of your career, and stuff like that, and I figure it’s going to happen when it’s supposed to. I’m not going to make any irrational decisions on stuff like that.’’
The mental makeup that the Florida native brought with him to Portland was described as such by Kenny Gillion, his former AAU coach:
“When he plays against the top players, he has a killer mentality. If he’s not winning, he’s not happy. He equates success with winning. … He’s going to try to outperform the guy in front of him while his team is winning.”
With that in mind, being on a team that’s constantly losing tends to be draining for many players. Franchises that are so used to losing that it seems ingrained in the team culture — like the Washington Wizards, for instance –have a way of leaving them disenchanted with the game, not just disillusioned. However, for players who genuinely love high competition and winning, it’s probably like a never-ending nightmare.
You Have One Job
So, as far as what’s ailing Simons and how to fix it, the answer is as clear as day.
Being on a team that’s 32-83 since Damian Lillard left in 2023, posting a .278 win percentage, is getting to him. That being said, as the Blazers are 158-191 when Simons plays (a .453 win percentage), he’s used to more success than he’s had over the past couple of seasons. There’s an argument to made that if Simons was playing better, their record would look better, with or without Lillard. Nonetheless, only a handful of stars can pull teams up from rock bottom all by their lonesome.
Simons may become that type of player one day but he isn’t right now.
As a result, it falls on Portland to put a better team around him. Right now, they just seem satisfied with mediocrity, more or less. The former No. 24 pick may be right to say he hasn’t earned the right to request a trade. Perhaps he doesn’t even feel as if he can complain about the Blazers’ acting as if all they need is time. However, the Blazers front office should have enough pride to put together a more competitive roster without him saying so.
If not, then his agent should make the request for him, for the sake of Simons’ sanity.
