Celtics’ Anfernee Simons quietly building trade stock

The Celtics may have learned something Thursday night, and it came from a place they were not necessarily expecting.

Anfernee Simons delivered his best game of the season in a 119-114 win over the Miami Heat, pouring in 39 points and completely taking over the fourth quarter. Eighteen of those points came in the final period. Seven threes followed. All of it came off the bench.

At some point, it stopped being subtle. Give him the ball. Get out of the way.

“I think he definitely was in that mode tonight,” Sam Hauser said, via The Athletic’s Jay King.

Even Jaylen Brown, who usually owns those moments, ceded the floor without hesitation.

“That boy can play,” Brown said. “He’s probably more talented than the role that he’s placed in.”

Simons arrived from Portland with questions attached, mostly about whether his production translated to winning basketball. Around the league, those questions are getting quieter.

Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal has reported that there is a growing belief Simons has helped his trade stock this season by showing he can fit into structure and still swing games.

That matters, because Boston has been linked to big-man upgrades. Nights like this complicate that math. Simons may still be movable, but not cheaply, and not without purpose.

Sometimes a player answers a question without saying a word. Thursday night felt like one of those times.