MIAMI — Anfernee Simons might begin 2026 as the NBA’s biggest luxury. One of the league’s most talented shooters, and statistically the Celtics’ best from three (40.5% 3PT) among their high-volume launchers, sits and watches many fourth quarters. Before Thursday’s 39 point outbreak that saved the Celtics in Miami, Simons averaged less minutes in the final frame this season than rookie Hugo González.
Small ball and Joe Mazzulla’s increasing confidence in the star’s acclimation to the team’s defensive system, focus on the intangibles and the flat out need for Simons to save them in some circumstances bumped him to fifth after the win in Miami. The Celtics have struck the right balance recently between Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Simons, even getting away from a struggling Jaylen Brown in Miami to play Simons more late in the first half. But the most difficult decision regarding Simons awaits Boston in only 20 days at the deadline.
“That boy, he can play,” Brown said, who accepted the trade-off with Simons on Thursday. “He’s probably more talented than the role that he’s placed in, but I have hella respect for him to come out and play winning basketball and do what the team needs. Doesn’t complain, just brings good energy and just contributes in a positive way, but tonight, like any night, we’ve seen at times he can just really fill it up. So I think he’s learning, he’s growing, he’s coming into his own, he’s developing, but tonight was an example of that.”
Simons initially played a longer stint in the second quarter alongside Sam Hauser over Brown after the Celtics trailed by 11 points following a first quarter capped by three Simons threes. Brown turned the ball over twice and missed three short-mid rangers in the ensuing minutes and came off the floor less than five minutes into the frame. His 12:43 first half minutes marked his fewest since a win at Brooklyn where Mazzulla similarly went away from Brown in the first half, who acknowledged the move as performance based. Simons’ play forced the decision this time, Mazzulla said on Thursday.
But the real tradeoff came in the fourth after White and Pritchard combined for eight points through the first three quarters and Boston trailed by 10. Simons led a 9-4 run with White, Hauser, Hugo González and Neemias Queta before Luka Garza relieved Queta in foul trouble. Brown joined them for González after two more Simons buckets pushed the run to 13-7. Brown and Simons traded threes and the Celtics secured a lead they never surrendered with 4:45 left after Boston trailed by 19 points in the first quarter.
Though rare this season, Simons’ presence, offensive creation ability and shooting in moments where Brown or another scorer in front of him have made him an important layer to the team’s offense. That’s also left him marginalized in moments where they do, or Mazzulla has opted for more defensive or rebounding-oriented looks. The Celtics also directly challenged Simons to improve his defense over the summer, which he has.
“Just being coachable,” Simons said. “Having some humility on the things that you need to get better at, and just accepting the role, trying to be the best version at it and it’s got its ups-and-downs, but I think for the most part, I’m learning each and every game, just going with the flow and continuing to try to improve … it was definitely an adjustment. Usually you know exactly when you’re going into and coming out of the game, but sometimes here, he’s feeling out the game, and he’s feeling out what the game needs, and so you gotta be ready at any moment for your number to be called no matter if it’s the first quarter, second quarter and it might come down to the fourth quarter, so that just keeps you always on your toes and always locked into the game and being ready when your number’s called, which has been helpful.”
While individual net ratings don’t always fully describe one player’s impact, particularly in comparison to others, Simons finished fourth in the NBA last month despite almost always playing with the Celtics’ second unit. Only González, White and Queta boast better net ratings than Simons’ +7.6 among the team’s regular contributors. That’s at least a sign that Simons has played winning minutes consistently, something Mazzulla stressed by emphasizing Simons’ defense, rather than offense, following the 39-point outbreak that marked the fourth-most ever by a Celtics bench player. It also sets up continued trade-offs between Simons and Pritchard for however long they’ll play together. Simons’ full fourth quarter stint on Thursday kept Pritchard on the bench for all but one second.
Both players bring different strengths to their lineups. Pritchard’s passing, short-to-mid range game and pick-and-roll prowess have helped the starters despite him struggling from three this season (33.6%). Simons spot up shooting ranks in the 77th percentile of NBA players (1.18 PPP) this season compared to Pritchard sitting around the 55th percentile (1.06 PPP). It’s difficult to compare their individual productivity since Pritchard often faces opposing starters while Simons said on Thursday that he routinely benefits from the pressure other Celtics players have faced around him.
“A lot of times in Portland, it was such a chess match to figure out where I can get some space at,” Simons said. “Obviously here, everybody is viable to go off for 30-40 and shoot the ball at a high clip, so you find yourself having a little bit more room when you’re driving the ball and some guys might stay, so you’re playing one-on-one against the guy, so that kind of spacing always is helpful when you got it going like that.”
The Celtics’ core starting four of Brown, Pritchard, White and Queta have posted a +7.3 net rating this season, though Simons’ three most common five-man groups have all posted offensive ratings over 120 and two of them exceeded 130. There’s overwhelming evidence the Celtics’ offense improves with Simons on the floor, but with three of the team’s five best players needing minutes at guard, one will often get left out unless Boston leans into three-guard lineups. They experimented with it some during the New Year’s west coast road trip, but it remains a -3.6 net rating through 33 games and 97 minutes, surprisingly due to a low 114 offensive rating.
The fact that White, Pritchard and Simons all defend despite giving up some size as a lineup makes it worth exploring more alongside more trade-off between Simons and the play-makers in front of him. Defensively, he’s allowing 1.00 point per possession, an average mark, faring good against spot up shooters and in isolation while struggling through screens. Pritchard has fared similarly, with a 1.06 defensive PPP that ranks in the 20th percentile. Defense no longer separates the two by a significant margin, and as an important decision toward building the next championship looms — the Celtics need to know what Simons can provide at his highest usage.
“That’s the NBA. I’ve been in trade rumors since my third year, every other week it’s something new,” Simons said last week. “So it’s just part of the NBA and you just gotta be where your feet are.”
