The Anferno: Five stats that highlight Simons’ impact with Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Anfernee Simons erupted for a season-high 39 points on Thursday night in Miami, fueling the Celtics as they erased a 19-point deficit and delivered a gritty 119-114 road triumph over the Heat.
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Simons, who has had a penchant for loud quarters and halves this season, put together maybe his most complete game of the season while shooting 13 of 28 from the field and 7 of 16 beyond the 3-point arc. Add in 10 assist points off four assists and Simons, accounted for nearly 41 percent of Boston’s scoring output in 34 minutes off the bench.
The Celtics are now 9-2 when Simons scores 17-plus points this season, and 14-15 when he doesn’t. On a night when the core trio of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard all struggled with offensive efficiency, Simons reaffirmed his value as a microwave scorer who piled up 18 fourth-quarter points as Boston surged to the finish line for a must-have win after dropping three of its last four.
All this happened as trade rumors kick into overdrive three weeks before the trade deadline. Simons, operating in the final year of a contract paying him $27.7 million, is one of Boston’s few movable assets, but his recent output certainly has given president of basketball operations Brad Stevens even more to ponder as he charts a path forward.
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On one hand, Thursday’s game is a loud reminder of how vital Simons’ offense can be for a Boston team that ranks second in the NBA in offensive rating. On the other, his value might never be higher than at this very moment, and the potential in-season return of Jayson Tatum will soon bite into everyone’s shot totals.
The Celtics could benefit from adding more size and depth at the center position, something Simons might be able to help fetch. His name will continue to float in the rumors, even if the Celtics ultimately decide the most prudent path forward is to simply carry him to the finish line of the season and then ponder future pathways.
For now, let’s crunch the numbers on Simons’ 2025-26 impact:
Hot from downtown
Simons is now shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc over his last nine games. That’s up 13.2 percent over his first 30 games in green (36.8 percent).
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Simons has connected on 37 of 74 3-pointers over those nine games and is a +61 in plus/minus in that span. Maybe most notable is that 88.8 percent of Simons’ 3s this season have come off non-corner attempts, and he’s making 40 percent of those shots (90 of 223).
His ability to generate quality pull-up looks, particularly when he’s in full Anferno mode, is a huge luxury for an offense that is prone to stagnation.
Simons says: Gravity
The number-crunchers over at BBall-Index note that Simons ranks 8th out of 508 players in “overall gravity,” or the defensive attention a player draws even when they don’t have the basketball.
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That’s accentuated by Simons’ assist numbers being way up lately, popping to 3.7 per game over the last nine outings (up from 2.3 over his first 30 games).
When teams send extra bodies to take away his shot, Simons has been good at creating for others. And the attention defenses must afford him has also opened up opportunities for the rest of Boston’s bench players.
Effort on both ends
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has gone out of his way to praise Simons’ defensive engagement since arriving in Boston. Trying hard to improve his reputation, Simons is staying attached to his matchups, and the effort is obvious.
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Opponents are shooting 2 percent below expected output when Simons is the primary defender this season. Any negative number is excellent, and consider that All-Defense stalwart Derrick White is holding opponents to 2.2 percent below expected and Jordan Walsh is at 1.3 percent below expected.
To be fair, White and Walsh have far more difficult assignments most nights, and the Celtics have done a good job hiding Simons on lesser offensive players, but the effort is what matters here. And Simons is clearly trying to show he’s invested.
What’s more, Simons remains excellent at avoiding fouls when defending, committing infractions on a mere 2.9 percent of team plays.
Fourth-quarter punch
When you think of Boston’s fourth-quarter scoring, you probably think of White and Jaylen Brown shouldering that load. But Simons has quietly been a fourth-quarter force.
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With Thursday’s 18-point final-frame outburst, Simons is now third in the NBA in fourth-quarter bench points with 162, behind only Jaime Jaquez Jr. (169) and Naz Reid (163). Simons’ 28 fourth-quarter 3-pointers are second to only Cam Spencer (30).
Sixth Man campaign brewing?
Simons ranks fourth in the NBA while averaging 14.1 points per game off the bench (minimum of 20 games off bench). He’s +169 in 970 bench minutes, which is the fourth-best total in the league (and second-best on the Celtics behind rookie Hugo Gonzalez, who is +190 in 491 minutes).
Simons is the first bench player in the league to reach triple digits in 3-pointers (106 for the season, next closest: Tim Hardaway, 99).
