Celtics urged to reunite with Anfernee Simons to fix guard depth this offseason

After a brutal playoff exit, the Boston Celtics are now in the offseason. With that, they already should be looking for ways to redesign their team so they don’t make the same mistakes they did this season.

One thing they could do is reunite with someone they parted ways with at the deadline: guard Anfernee Simons. Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn believes they should sign him in free agency, to give the Celtics more depth at the guard position. 

“I would bring Anfernee (Simons) back on the mid-level,” Washburn stated (via The Garden Report on CLNS).

Simons with the Celtics 

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Simons was the sixth man for the Celtics for over half the season, with Jayson Tatum out and Payton Pritchard starting. He took Pritchard’s role as a sparkplug, and did very well in it. 

In 49 games with the C’s, Simons averaged 14.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 24.5 minutes per game. He also shot 40% from behind the arc, something the Celtics sorely needed in the playoffs.

He also broke the Celtics’ record for points off the bench in a road game, where he dropped 39 in a win against the Miami Heat in their own stadium.

Post-Boston Simons was even better

© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

At the trade deadline, the Celtics decided they needed better center depth in order to make a deep postseason run. They then made a deal with the Chicago Bulls for their All-Star center, Nikola Vucevic, and sent Simons in return. 

In the six games he played before fracturing his wrist, Simons actually did even better than he did with Boston. He increased his stats to 15.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and three assists in 28.3 minutes per game.

Should the Celtics reunite with him?

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If the Celtics can afford him, most definitely. Aside from Pritchard, the Celtics don’t have any reliable guards. Derrick White used to be, but this playoff run showed he’s clearly entering his decline, at least offensively. 

Simons would pick up the slack there, make the team younger, and would be cheaper than White. It also gives Boston options when it comes to White, especially if they want to make a trade for another superstar.

Hopefully, Boston gets to work on a deal with Simons as soon as they can.

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