After the victory against the Portland Trail Blazers, head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked to assess what he saw from Anfernee Simons on the defensive end.
“Just his continued growth,” Mazzulla said firmly. It was a simple answer, but one layered with meaning. As the season has unfolded, Simons’ development has become harder to ignore. Mazzulla underscored that evolution, noting that he is “really starting to see the two-way player” emerge.
Before the season began, Simons shared a moment with reporters that offered insight into the foundation of that growth. Mazzulla, he recalled, reassured him about his defense, telling him, “You’re not as bad as people think you are.” Simons later added that the felt “pretty excited about being pushed to a new level.”
Fast forward to Simons’ 39-point performance in a win over Miami, and the tone shifted from reassurance to affirmation. Mazzulla was direct in his assessment: “I think he’s taken it to another level with his defense.”
That growth hasn’t lived only in postgame quotes. It’s been unfolding on the floor, in moments that don’t always make the box score, but stand out on film.
Simons has continued to show that he not only possesses the tools, but also the want-to, to give the game what it demands on that end of the floor. His physicality at the point of attack has taken a significant leap this season, and he’s consistently walling off straight-line drives, which is super important.
On this first play, Simons shuts down the initial drive before contesting Caleb Love’s shot. Stopping drives is crucial for any team, of course, but on this roster, it’s especially important because it allows the new swarming-to-the-ball defensive scheme to function at its best.
Once a player turns their back on the Celtics or is forced to reset after being stopped, multiple defenders swarm to the ball, as you can see here. Rayan Rupert quickly gives up the ball as Hugo Gonzalez and Payton Pritchard converge.
Here, Simons makes multiple efforts. In transition, he stops the ball, and Baylor Scheierman follows trying to contest the pass.
Then Simons uses the baseline as his ally, staying chest-up to contain the drive. This appears to be a tactic the coaches are emphasizing, as Scheierman has employed the same technique frequently this season. He even pokes the ball loose as Rupert tries to spin.
Here, Simons fights around two off-ball screens to get back to Love at the opposite wing. I really want to credit Mazzulla and the staff for instilling this mindset in Simons.
When we traded for Simons, I watched a bunch of his defensive possessions with Portland. From that tape, I can say with confidence that the level of defensive aggression and the want-to simply didn’t seem to present itself.
Here is how he graded out as a perimeter defender last season per Bball-Index.
But when you take a look at his numbers this year, the improvement is shown.
The conversation about mindset comes into focus when watching how aggressively he defends when going over screens. Using his quickness to get over, Simons then defends with his chest forward, effectively stopping the ball in its tracks.
In a post training camp interview, Simons shocked most Celtics fans when he admitted that he had “never really worked on or been taught” when speaking about the defensive playmaking drills, he started doing when he got to Boston.
Here, he shows good effort trailing the play and ends up knocking the ball off of Love, giving the Celtics the final possession of the half.
The fight is evident on this play.
Simons was often tasked with guarding the much taller Jerami Grant, listed at 6’7”. On this play, the Blazers feed him in the post, giving him space and anticipating a mismatch.
Simons does an outstanding job playing with the physicality the Celtics require on defense, giving up very little ground in the post. He even puts his defensive playmaking drills into action, poking the ball loose and nearly forcing a steal.
Mazzulla talked about this play postgame and said, “We may have been able to challenge that one, but we were down a timeout and we couldn’t risk it.”
Next, we see Simons against Grant again showing the aggressiveness going over the screen. Pass goes to Clingan and he misses it.
The Blazers go to their own version of the Killer Whale Pick and Roll trying to go at Simons. He passes Rupert to Gonzalez and has to move his feet quickly to contain Jrue Holiday on the drive. He plays with his chest as Holiday euro-steps then nicely contests the layup.
Lastly, the aggression going over the screen pays off once more as this time he stabs at the ball and goes the other way. Celtics end up getting a three off the nice steal.
Most fans had very valid questions about whether Simons could improve an overall underwhelming defensive career with the Trailblazers. The Celtics’ coaching, culture, and insistence on accountability has helped reshape his game.
Where once his defense lacked bite, he now approaches possessions with purpose, body and mind aligned. He doesn’t just guard the ball; he challenges it, contests it, and forces the game to respect him. Simons hasn’t just grown; he’s exceeded expectations, emerging as the player coach Mazzulla thought he could be.
