Anfernee Simons inked a 4-year, $100 million contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason. But Simons has his sights set on more than just a massive payday, as the 23-year old recently revealed his next goal, per Sean Highkin.
“Personally, I want to be an All-Star,” Simons said. “That’s one of my personal goals.”
Anfernee Simons enjoyed a breakout season during the 2021-2022 campaign. Simons, who’s already played 4 years in the NBA despite his young age, posted a career high 17.3 points per game last season. He shot 44 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc. He added 4 assists per contest and posted a free-throw percentage of just under 89 percent for good measure.
The presence of Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic on the roster may be partially why the Blazers decided to keep Damian Lillard. If Simons hadn’t displayed signs of stardom and Nurkic wasn’t in the picture, Portland would have likely been far more inclined to enter a complete rebuild. After all, they traded Lillard’s former co-star CJ McCollum last year.
But Anfernee Simons projects to be Damian Lillard’s new co-star. Simons and Lillard will make-up arguably the most underrated backcourt in the league. If Lillard rebounds from injury and Simons reaches his All-Star goals, the Trail Blazers could be a dangerous team during the 2022-2023 season.
Playing off of Lillard should help Simons as well. Lillard commands an enormous amount of defensive pressure based on reputation alone. Anfernee Simons very well may earn an All-Star nod this year.
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