He averaged 25.4 points and 8.4 assists in 37.4 minutes per game, shot 48.9 percent from the field and 42.6 percent on three-point range, and made more than 10 three-point attempts in one game.
If you choose a person from the Blazers' lineup who can play such a statistic, first Lillard, second mcCollum, and then not a Powell, Anfinnie Simmons will only be your fourth choice, but the above data is what he played.
Recently, Lillard, McCollum and Powell have all missed the game, and the Blazers have lost their starters in the entire backcourt in an instant, and players such as McLemore, Little, and even "TV" have all been put on the starting lineup.
Simmons seized the opportunity to become a good player in the fourth year of his career. Previously playing the Hawks, Simmons had 43 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, becoming the youngest Mr. 40 pointer in Blazers history.
Without going to college, he went straight to the NBA from the IMG Basketball Academy, and Simmons was one of the youngest players in the league at the time. The rookie year didn't play much, and the next year the Blazers deliberately dug in behind Lillard's bench, giving young Simmons more opportunities.
After the playing time stabilized, Simmons began to pull his crotch. He averaged 8.3 points and 1.4 assists per game, shooting 39.9 percent from the field, 33.2 percent from three-point range, and nearly one turnover.
Thin, can't shoot, passes, and isn't defending. Simmons, who has no players, can't meet the Blazers' needs for backcourt replacements, and the Blazers' high salary list also makes it impossible for them to find reliable backup point guards from the market.
So whether active or passive, they continue to trust Simmons, perhaps in the game on April 10, 2019, when everyone was off, Simmons gave the Blazers hope by 37 points and 9 assists in a single game.
Last season Simmons finally went from a player who shouldn't have played to a available soldier in rotation, largely thanks to his huge improvements in projection, with Simmons shooting 9.2 three-pointers per 36 minutes at 42.6 percent.
The improvement of projection coupled with a little skill in holding the ball and blocking, Simmons became a player who could stay on the court and be trusted, although his defense was still terrible, but defense was obviously not so important in the Blazers' backcourt.
The Blazers' backcourt injuries in the new season gave Simmons more opportunities, and he handed over a career-high 14.1 points and 2.9 assists, shooting 44.3% from the field and 39.2% from three points.
The possession of the round jumped over 23%, becoming a true ball-holding style of play. Simmons is the team's normal third-blocker, second only to Lillard and McCollum in the number of blocks.
Among the 83 players who have blocked more than 100 times in the league, Simmons has a blocking scoring rate of 1.03, ranking third in the league. And he doesn't know how to pass the ball, and he chooses to do nearly 60% of the blocking.
Because of his limited physical fitness, Simmons is not very good at finishing a lot under the basket, so he blocks and dismantles his own work or throws. After blocking and dismantling, the three-point shot is directly shot, and after dribbling, the mid-range jump shot is mainly shot.
His improvements in the mid-range have helped him score better this season, shooting 41.5 percent and 46.2 percent from both mid-range areas.
In December, there was a bit of a slump shooting percentage of just 33.3 percent, but after entering 2022, Simmons became unstoppable, averaging 28.3 points and 8.2 assists in six appearances, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from three-point range.
The 22-year-old is in his fourth season, and there won't be so many days when the main backcourt is absent and shoulders the big responsibility alone.
But Simmons undoubtedly proved himself with his own performance, and the rebuilding of the Blazers may have a few more variables because of this sudden outbreak of children.