While the book may be out on new Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons on the defensive end of the court, the former Portland Trail Blazers sharpshooter has a well-earned reputation of being something of a flamethrower on the offensive end. And on the day that Simons made his debut as a Celtic at Boston’s 2025-26 media day proceedings, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens cosigned on that assessment of his scoring capabilities.
“He is an electric scorer,” offered the Celtics exec. “He’s an outstanding shooter. He is a guy that teams will legitimately be thinking about when they enter the game.”
Advertisement
“That’s a scouting report asterisks guy” added Stevens. “You have to know him inside and out because he’s liable to go off.”
Sep 29, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens talks to reporters during media day at the Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
What Simons does with this season in Boston could go a long way toward shaping the second half of his NBA career, with an opportunity to erase his earned reputation as a poor defender in a way that would see his benefit on the court skyrocket.
But should he remain a flamethrower on one end and a sieve on the other, the Florida native could find himself an asterisk in the history of the team — and not the sort with the positive connotations Stevens put to use in his deployment of the term.
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Advertisement
Spotify: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics president Brad Stevens on Anfernee Simons’ scoring ability
About the Author
