The Portland Trail Blazers apparently gave Anfernee Simons a promise that they would select him if available at pick No. 24 in the 2018 NBA Draft. Here’s why that may have been a bad decision.
The Portland Trail Blazers held onto their No. 24 pick and selected guard Anfernee Simons in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft. Simons is a 6’4”, 184-pound guard with a 6’9” wingspan.
He was a five-star recruit who committed to Louisville but decided to skip college and attend IMG Academy as a postgraduate student. Simons is one of the few guys in recent years attempting to make the jump from high school to the NBA.
In 50 games in high school, Simons averaged 20.2 points, 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point line.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor said on The Ringer draft watch party on Thursday night that Portland promised Simons to take him at No. 24. Simons was the only player during the pre-draft process to work out for the Blazers two times.
At just 19 years old, he is joining the second-youngest roster in the NBA. He’s a good shooter with go-to scoring potential and has been compared to guys like Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford and D’Angelo Russell.
Blazers general manager Neil Olshey said in a previous interview that the Blazers were going to be looking for more established players and guys who can help this team win in the playoffs.
Simons is arguably the most unknown, raw prospect in this draft class and is a couple of years away from being a meaningful contributor on a team trying to get out of the first round of the playoffs. It will take him time to adjust to the NBA game and for his body to be physically ready to go against NBA players. With that in mind, here are five reasons Simons was a bad pick in the first round for the Blazers.