BBallbreakdown: Can Jonathon Simmons add depth to the Spurs bench?

[SAGirl]

Short answer? Yes!! but he needs to develop in several areas. Here is an article I found by pure accident on our Spur Simmons. http://bballbreakdown.com/2015/07/24/can-jonathon-simmons-add-to-the-san-antonio-spurs-depth/

I am sharing it bc in bballbreakdown, they just feature writers who, whether you agree with them or not, do know their basketball. Many things are mentioned, from the good to the bad, his athleticism and quick first step, shaky ballhandling and questionable passing (apparently from Pop, the answer is that yes, he can find other options if the first ones are taken away). Also, his inconsistent shooting, preferring apparently to shoot off the dribble than in catch and shoot situations. Many of the issues discussed there we have already discussed ad nauseum but if you find yourself with time, or didn't read through pages of discussion about Simmons, its a good read.

An excerpt about his defense:

Simmons has all the physical tools of a NBA defender. At 6’6″ with a 6’8” wingspan and the ability to stay in front of dribble penetration and challenge shots, he can match up with most wing players–though alongside Ginobili he might be slightly undersized against larger small forwards.He’s a hard worker defensively but needs to improve his fundamentals before the coaching staff can trust him, especially his footwork in closing out to shooters. He has a tendency to not close out under control, which prevents him from breaking down to a stop and keeps him off balance, allowing players to drive by him easily.
It will take some time learning the rotations of the Spurs defense, though he should have some familiarity with it with the Austin Spurs running the same system. If he can leverage his athletic tools with some improved fundamentals, he could turn into a solid defensive player for the second unit.

[SAGirl]

An article from mysanantonio.com about him summarizes Pop's comments about him, and has snippets of an interview with him about his passing:


With the Big 3, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Patty Mills and now LaMarcus Aldridge and David West added to the mix, the Spurs aren’t in dire need of scoring. Knowing this, Simmons knew he needed to let another part of his game shine, and is doing so with passing and defense.“This is a team where passing is most important and finding the open guy,” said Simmons. “Just like I’ve done in the past, just thrive on finding gaps – sort of like what LeBron does. … I just know that’s a plus here with guys that can shoot the ball well, so I just try and find the open guy as much as I can.”
Those LeBron-like passes – Simmons also studied Chris Paul – is what Popovich is finding most impressive. He said Simmons’ ability to see things develop is a gift that even he couldn’t teach.
Said Popovich: “He sees things; the second or third iteration. You can see the first guy that’s open, but sometimes he sees something else developing on the floor. That’s hard to coach. I don’t know if you can coach it. It’s just a natural affinity for that part of the game, and he has that.”
Told of Popovich’s admiration, Simmons explained why he’s able to thrive so far in training camp.
“It’s pretty much spot basketball in this system,” said Simmons, who credited his knowledge of the Spurs’ offensive system to time spent in Austin. “You know where guys are going to be at, so I’m thinking ahead of the defender, knowing that if I make this drive, I know my guy is supposed to be right there.”

You can find this one here: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2015/10/07/its-early-but-jonathon-simmons-making-an-impression-on-popovich/

[Chinook]

Good articles. Thanks for posting.

The main question with Simmons is whether or not he will be able to develop. Obviously the talent is there, but the he's raw. At 26, his upside may be limited. I wonder if he would be an NBA player now if someone had picked him up during or immediately after the 2012 draft. Hell, he would have been a better pick than Marcus Denmon.

I'm obviously excited to see Simmons and Anderson both them competing against each other for that final rotation spot and working together as part of a Manu-less second unit.

[BillMc]

Nice posts OP. :toast I, like you, find the contrast between BBall and Pop in the evaluation of Jonathon's passing ability a good sign. It means that that Simmons is either still developing or, when given the opportunity, is showing aspects of his game previously unseen. Either or both are good news. We should get some glimpse tomorrow in Sacramento. It will also be interesting to see if Simmons guards Marco and if he can affect him on defense.

[RD2191]

OP is a faggot.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Simmons has no weakness in his game.
He's average to above average at everything.

He's going to be the next unknown breakout spur

[random21]

Simmons from what I have observed:
*The guy can dribble/slash to the basket for a nice layup or short shot and
*Dribble and pass off to the 3 point line
*Has a nice first step
I am sure we are going to see a lot of him in the preseason....

[ElNono]

Said Popovich: “He sees things; the second or third iteration. You can see the first guy that’s open, but sometimes he sees something else developing on the floor. That’s hard to coach. I don’t know if you can coach it. It’s just a natural affinity for that part of the game, and he has that.”

Damn, there goes any hope of Pop transforming Enrique's game...

/blue

[exstatic]

Simmons has no weakness in his game.
He's average to above average at everything.

He's going to be the next unknown breakout spur

I like Simmons potential, but he's real sloppy and careless with the ball, and prone to turnovers.

[KL2]

Simmons is a late bloomer. He played 2/3 of his basketball career at community colleges, played 1 year of div. 1 ball, then declared for the draft. He's had very little coaching so I don't think he's peaked at all yet & has a lot of room for improvement.

He's also gained a bit of weight since his collegiate days, he was 195 in his final year, but is up to 204+. He'll ultimately have to move up to around 210-215 in order to consistently guard bigger forwards, but for now he can probably help the Spurs guard those quick SG's & PG's like Joseph did last year.

I'm rooting for this guy, he's a jack of all trades type player, once polished he can be a quality role player. He's raw but doesn't look bad at all, just a couple of tweaks to his game here and there should make a huge difference, his flaws all look correctable.

[SAGirl]

Yes, I think he can be a good roleplayer, obviously his age limits his ceiling, but he can improve on fundamentals and such. One thing I observed in SL that is not mentioned in these articles is that he tends to ball-watch a lot while defending off-ball, allowing his men to beat him on backcuts and such, but obviously the potential is there to be good defensively and his deficiencies are correctable. We'll see how he does with ballhandling, bc of his age we don't know whether he can improve that or not.

[Ice009]

hmm, I don't like this line from the Express News Article : "He wouldn’t elaborate on the future, instead putting all his energy into the present and the goal of doing everything he could each day in hopes of making the final roster" http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2015/10/07/its-early-but-jonathon-simmons-making-an-impression-on-popovich/

Is his actual spot on the roster in question? I thought for sure with the first year being fully guaranteed that he's playing for a rotation spot rather than a roster spot. Obviously, if he was really, really bad they could still cut or waive him during training camp/preseason as it's one of the cheaper contracts on the team, but still, I didn't think he'd be in danger of getting cut from the actual roster this early during preseason.


I like Simmons potential, but he's real sloppy and careless with the ball, and prone to turnovers.

So was Stephen Jackson. You can't teach some of what Simmons has. Great athleticism, very good passing instincts. On top of that he seems very willing to play defense. All huge positives IMO.

I hope he can improve his defensive fundamentals, ball handling and shooting to be part of the roster and rotation.

[SpursFan86]

hmm, I don't like this line from the Express News Article : "He wouldn’t elaborate on the future, instead putting all his energy into the present and the goal of doing everything he could each day in hopes of making the final roster" http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2015/10/07/its-early-but-jonathon-simmons-making-an-impression-on-popovich/

Is his actual spot on the roster in question? I thought for sure with the first year being fully guaranteed that he's playing for a rotation spot rather than a roster spot. Obviously, if he was really, really bad they could still cut or waive him during training camp/preseason as it's one of the cheaper contracts on the team, but still, I didn't think he'd be in danger of getting cut from the actual roster this early during preseason.

Or you can look at it as him not just assuming he'll make the team, and wanting to make sure he works his ass off to prove he belongs.

[SAGirl]

hmm, I don't like this line from the Express News Article : "He wouldn’t elaborate on the future, instead putting all his energy into the present and the goal of doing everything he could each day in hopes of making the final roster" http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2015/10/07/its-early-but-jonathon-simmons-making-an-impression-on-popovich/

Is his actual spot on the roster in question? I thought for sure with the first year being fully guaranteed that he's playing for a rotation spot rather than a roster spot. Obviously, if he was really, really bad they could still cut or waive him during training camp/preseason as it's one of the cheaper contracts on the team, but still, I didn't think he'd be in danger of getting cut from the actual roster this early during preseason.



So was Stephen Jackson. You can't teach some of what Simmons has. Great athleticism, very good passing instincts. On top of that he seems very willing to play defense. All huge positives IMO.

I hope he can improve his ball handling and shooting enough to be part of the roster and rotation.

I don't know,you know these reporters can give their personal perceptions get through. All Pop said was he still needs to earn his spot. Of Butler, Pop said he has shot well and has a chance to make the team, of Jimmer Pop said they wanted to see him do other things beyond just shoot well. Seems like they wanted to see other things from Simmons beyond just getting to the rack and dunk. I would not read to much into it, he does have more potential than these two and they need wing depth.

[Kool Bob Love]

dont get me wrong, but i think jonno has so much untapped potential then say danny green

u can see the drive in his eyes and the will to compete...

he already can finish at the rim and euro step, just needs to work on his stroke and defense...no problem with range, just improve that stroke and his money in my eyes...

I wish you were this honest about MVPARKER.

[Dingle Barry]

hmm, I don't like this line from the Express News Article : "He wouldn’t elaborate on the future, instead putting all his energy into the present and the goal of doing everything he could each day in hopes of making the final roster" http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2015/10/07/its-early-but-jonathon-simmons-making-an-impression-on-popovich/

Is his actual spot on the roster in question? I thought for sure with the first year being fully guaranteed that he's playing for a rotation spot rather than a roster spot. Obviously, if he was really, really bad they could still cut or waive him during training camp/preseason as it's one of the cheaper contracts on the team, but still, I didn't think he'd be in danger of getting cut from the actual roster this early during preseason.



So was Stephen Jackson. You can't teach some of what Simmons has. Great athleticism, very good passing instincts. On top of that he seems very willing to play defense. All huge positives IMO.

I hope he can improve his defensive fundamentals, ball handling and shooting to be part of the roster and rotation.

No it's not in question, but nothing is just given to you.

[Kawhitstorm]

Yes, I think he can be a good roleplayer, obviously his age limits his ceiling, but he can improve on fundamentals and such. One thing I observed in SL that is not mentioned in these articles is that he tends to ball-watch a lot while defending off-ball, allowing his men to beat him on backcuts and such, but obviously the potential is there to be good defensively and his deficiencies are correctable. We'll see how he does with ballhandling, bc of his age we don't know whether he can improve that or not.

He and Iman Shumpert are about the same age & Shumpert isn't really that much more talented than Simmons, maybe a bit more polished as a point guard. Shumpert is still a raw talent who was drafted based on his elite athleticism & has only really played about a 100 NBA quality games. Shumpert ended up getting a 4yr 40 million contract from the Cavs after he found a niche as a perimeter defender but dude has the same habit of ball watching as Simmons which was exposed in the Finals.

All I'm trying to say is that it would really take detailed scouting & execution to expose role players who have flaws in their game so I wouldn't be worried too much about his ball watching habits especially considering he's a raw/project talent.

[ceperez]

He and Iman Shumpert are about the same age & Shumpert isn't really that much more talented than Simmons, maybe a bit more polished as a point guard. Shumpert is still a raw talent who was drafted based on his elite athleticism & has only really played about a 100 NBA quality games. Shumpert ended up getting a 4yr 40 million contract from the Cavs after he found a niche as a perimeter defender but dude has the same habit of ball watching as Simmons which was exposed in the Finals.

All I'm trying to say is that it would really take detailed scouting & execution to expose role players who have flaws in their game so I wouldn't be worried too much about his ball watching habits especially considering he's a raw/project talent.

In terms of athleticism and size their are equivalent. Shumpert has shown really good one-on-one defense, but I haven't seen him pass well. Also don't think Shumpert has high BB-IQ. Shumpert outside shot is good but not elite. I got no idea how good or bad Simmons outside is at this stage.

[Chinook]

Is his actual spot on the roster in question? I thought for sure with the first year being fully guaranteed that he's playing for a rotation spot rather than a roster spot. Obviously, if he was really, really bad they could still cut or waive him during training camp/preseason as it's one of the cheaper contracts on the team, but still, I didn't think he'd be in danger of getting cut from the actual roster this early during preseason.


Or you can look at it as him not just assuming he'll make the team, and wanting to make sure he works his ass off to prove he belongs.


No it's not in question, but nothing is just given to you.

Simmons' contract makes him just as vulnerable as Jimmer or Bonner. I'm pretty sure his $525k is the smallest of the three guarantees. If you assume the Spurs would be willing to eat either of those contracts, then the same applies to Simmons. Plus, as I've said many times before, he's likely to get claimed like Malcolm Thomas was. So it's not as simple as the Spurs eating his first year if they don't like him.

That being said, he is intriguing enough that they'd probably give him more than a camp to get acclimated even if he struggles. They say it takes a year to get used to the Spurs' system. I doubt they envisioned him balling out against the regular rotation of a perennial contender. I'd say he's 90-percent safe: He'd have to suck and someone would have to be really step up to take his job. But he's not a lock.

[spursparker9]

I was expecting video tbh

[ceperez]

Said Popovich: “He sees things; the second or third iteration. You can see the first guy that’s open, but sometimes he sees something else developing on the floor. That’s hard to coach. I don’t know if you can coach it. It’s just a natural affinity for that part of the game, and he has that.”

Pretty much seals the deal. You can find a ton of athletic players, but to find one that knows how to read the court, that's a unicorn!

If he ends up playing for PG instead of the SG slot, then that would be even better. We can dump McCallum and Jimmer (both undersized).

[TheGreatYacht]

Will be our starting SF when Kiwi suffers his annual paper cut injury

[NameLess Scrub]

Well.. we know he will need to make open 3s.. likes almost every Spurs wing player :lol

[Dingle Barry]

simmons is a potential 2 way player if he really lives up to his potential

the same cant be said about the other 2 scrubs...jimmy and butler
This. I don't see any way he gets cut, regardless of how cheap he is.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

I like Simmons potential, but he's real sloppy and careless with the ball, and prone to turnovers.

Fair enough but I think that will be mitigated by the rest of the players he'll be on the floor with.
I feel like he over passed and tried to hard to get crap team mates involved in summer league

[SAGirl]

If he ends up playing for PG instead of the SG slot, then that would be even better. We can dump McCallum and Jimmer (both undersized).

His ballhandling is bad enough that he will not be able to be your PG. Its better for him to have someone else handle the ball under pressure and get the set started and just get the ball to him so he can go right into attack mode. The good thing is that once Simmons is in attack mode, if his opportunities are closed, he can find open guys. He would be the perfect wing system player, but I really doubt he can be your PG. His ballhandling is very rudimentary, even by d'league standards he struggled under pressure and when trapped. As I have said before, maybe its something he can improve on, particularly if we consider him a late bloomer and a guy who didn't have good coaching until recently, but truly he's 26 I would not assume big leaps in his ballhandling. The good news is that the Spurs can make it work with a shooting/gunner PG by his side like Mills and Jimmer.

[Darius McCrary]

I just want this guy to dunk on Kobe and make Sportscenter.

[monkeypunk]

I just want this guy to dunk on Kobe and make Sportscenter.

Can't dunk on a guy who isn't trying to defend, lol.

[ceperez]

His ballhandling is bad enough that he will not be able to be your PG. Its better for him to have someone else handle the ball under pressure and get the set started and just get the ball to him so he can go right into attack mode. The good thing is that once Simmons is in attack mode, if his opportunities are closed, he can find open guys. He would be the perfect wing system player, but I really doubt he can be your PG. His ballhandling is very rudimentary, even by d'league standards he struggled under pressure and when trapped. As I have said before, maybe its something he can improve on, particularly if we consider him a late bloomer and a guy who didn't have good coaching until recently, but truly he's 26 I would not assume big leaps in his ballhandling. The good news is that the Spurs can make it work with a shooting/gunner PG by his side like Mills and Jimmer.

Not saying he should or could be. Just saying that "if" he develops his ball handling skills, it at least takes away a liability on defense with Parker, Mills or McCallum. At this stage, he probably is better than Danny Green. But that is a really low bar.

I just noticed though that there is a problem with the 2nd unit in that there are very few decent size and fast players:

Simmons

Everyone is slow:

Ginobilii
Diaw
Anderson
West
Marjanovic
Bonner
Fredette

or two small:

Mills
McCallum

Even guys like:

Butler
Thomas

are also slow!

[Kawhitstorm]

His ballhandling is bad enough that he will not be able to be your PG. Its better for him to have someone else handle the ball under pressure and get the set started and just get the ball to him so he can go right into attack mode. The good thing is that once Simmons is in attack mode, if his opportunities are closed, he can find open guys. He would be the perfect wing system player, but I really doubt he can be your PG. His ballhandling is very rudimentary, even by d'league standards he struggled under pressure and when trapped. As I have said before, maybe its something he can improve on, particularly if we consider him a late bloomer and a guy who didn't have good coaching until recently, but truly he's 26 I would not assume big leaps in his ballhandling. The good news is that the Spurs can make it work with a shooting/gunner PG by his side like Mills and Jimmer.

Simmons is a guy that handles the ball well for an off guard & has a very good court vision. He is better than someone like Klay Thompson/ReDick in both categories.

[SAGirl]

Simmons is a guy that handles the ball well for an off guard & has a very good court vision. He is better than someone like Klay Thompson/ReDick in both categories.
I don't know about that but come on, those guys are shooters and gunners at an elite level, which Simmons is not. Very different games, those two guys aren't PG either and play next to some of the best of the best. Simmons has to find his own niche, and defense/passing is it. If he can get to the rack or run in transition, he's money though, and an excellent cutter bc of his ability to catch lobs. I love many things about him, just not delusional thinking this guy is better than Klay or JJ.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Simmons is a guy that handles the ball well for an off guard & has a very good court vision. He is better than someone like Klay Thompson/ReDick in both categories.

He really hasn't shown anything to support this claim so far. Dishing a couple of assists in summer league is not proof he's better at this than established NBA vets.

[Kawhitstorm]

He really hasn't shown anything to support this claim so far. Dishing a couple of assists in summer league is not proof he's better at this than established NBA vets.

Ball handling & court vision are two skill-sets that you can spot by just observing a pick-up game. Some player just have a natural feel to the game somewhat like a 6th sense (both on offense/defense) that can't be taught & Simmons has it. That doesn't mean he isn't prone to making bad decisions trying to hit a home run instead of making the simple play. Now he's in the big league those small mistakes are going to be magnified & the other team is going to make him pay for it. He also has to be in sync w/ his teammates b/c it takes two to tango. Compared to Simmons I would say CoJo was almost robotic when it came to his playmaking skills.

[SAGirl]

Ball handling & court vision are two skill-sets that you can spot by just observing a pick-up game. Some player just have a natural feel to the game somewhat like a 6th sense (both on offense/defense) that can't be taught & Simmons has it. That doesn't mean he isn't prone to making bad decisions trying to hit a home run instead of making the simple play. Now he's in the big league those small mistakes are going to be magnified & the other team is going to make him pay for it. He also has to be in sync w/ his teammates b/c it takes two to tango. Compared to Simmons I would say CoJo was almost robotic when it came to his playmaking skills.
He has good court vision but bad ballhandling. I hope he truly improves it. Maybe he was nervous, and we'll see him get more comfortable next game. He has athleticism to blow by guys, he didn't bc his handles are poor. Kyle on the other hand is not athletic, but he got to his spots bc his handles are nice for a guy his size and plays under control. Still I have hpoes for Simmons though and I think he makes the team. Not only does he fill a need, but he could get better.

[Kawhitstorm]

I don't know about that but come on, those guys are shooters and gunners at an elite level, which Simmons is not. Very different games, those two guys aren't PG either and play next to some of the best of the best. Simmons has to find his own niche, and defense/passing is it. If he can get to the rack or run in transition, he's money though, and an excellent cutter bc of his ability to catch lobs. I love many things about him, just not delusional thinking this guy is better than Klay or JJ.

I'm not saying Simmons is better than Klay since being an elite shooter & an above average defender makes Klay a rare specimen. But when his shot isn't falling Klay isn't much better than the likes of Shumpert b/c he's a one trick phony. If Simmons has better handles & court vision that the so called "second best shooting guard in the league" then I wouldn't complain too much since those are two important skill-sets for the position. It's not like he going to be playing backup PG like Roger Mason or Gary Neal which was the equivalent of watching a ship sink. IMO, Simmons is more comparable to George Hill except he has better court vision but isn't as good a defender & spot-up shooter.

[Kawhitstorm]

He has good court vision but bad ballhandling. I hope he truly improves it. Maybe he was nervous, and we'll see him get more comfortable next game. He has athleticism to blow by guys, he didn't bc his handles are poor. Kyle on the other hand is not athletic, but he got to his spots bc his handles are nice for a guy his size and plays under control. Still I have hpoes for Simmons though and I think he makes the team. Not only does he fill a need, but he could get better.

Messina wasn't putting him in sets where he could do his thing which is PnR from the top of the key just like most slashers. He was at the corner plenty of times which is an awkward spot for slashers. He wasn't a point guard in college so he isn't used to bringing up the ball but he has decent handles for an off guard, change of direction skills & the euro step in his repertoire which is all you need to attack off the PnR as a slasher. He knows how to maneuver his way into the paint & is very efficient w/ his dribbles. You can't expect him to clear the side & try to go one-on-one on an island like Harden which is overkill anyways.

I don't remember George Hill having better handles than Simmons & he did just fine playing alongside Manu despite not being an elite shooter nor a better slasher than Simmons. If Simmons can knock down the corner 3 then it's going to open up his game.

[ceperez]

Messina wasn't putting him in sets where he could do his thing which is PnR from the top of the key just like most slashers. He was at the corner plenty of times which is an awkward spot for slashers. He wasn't a point guard in college so he isn't used to bringing up the ball but he has decent handles for an off guard, change of direction skills & the euro step in his repertoire which is all you need to attack off the PnR as a slasher. He knows how to maneuver his way into the paint & is very efficient w/ his dribbles. You can't expect him to clear the side & try to go one-on-one on an island like Harden which is overkill anyways.

I don't remember George Hill having better handles than Simmons & he did just fine playing alongside Manu despite not being an elite shooter nor a better slasher than Simmons. If Simmons can knock down the corner 3 then it's going to open up his game.

Simmons ball handling is good enough for the coaching staff to give him a green right to bring the ball up the court even with defenders.

You don't see Green bring the ball up like that.

That's why I'm saying that Simmons on the PG is not bad an option when you have other good ball handlers in the 2nd team (can't say the same about the first team). With Simmons at PG, you plug a hole in defense and get a very quick and long defender at the PG positions.

[Chinook]

Simmons ball handling is good enough for the coaching staff to give him a green right to bring the ball up the court even with defenders.

You don't see Green bring the ball up like that.

They used to let Danny run the point in his first year on the Spurs. Seems unthinkable now, but it happened. The coaching staff wants to see Simmons in every situation possible to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. I don't think there's any chance Simmons plays PG outside of maybe a couple of possessions with Anderson, Leonard and Green on the floor with him.

[dbestpro]

When you look at the roster, you have to ask what three guys will most often be in a suit or d-league.
Duncan, LMA, Leonard, Green, Parker, West, Diaw, Anderson, Manu, Mills, Boban, and McCallum are the primary 12.
Simmons makes the roster, but will spend a lot of time going between Austin and SA. Bonner will be in a suit.
The final roster spot is best used for a player who can play in Austin too. That does not work for Jimmer, Williams or Butler.
If Thomas does not show, then I think they go with 14 players and eat Jimmer's contract.

[random21]

Simmons at 1, Green at 2 and Kawhi at 3 for certain situations in a game is fine with me... Only say in the second quarter to spark a defensive run... Like said above, Simmons prob has same handles or better than George Hill....

[pgardn]

Simmons is a guy that handles the ball well for an off guard & has a very good court vision. He is better than someone like Klay Thompson/ReDick in both categories.

No.
Just no.

[Chinook]

No.
Just no.

I think Simmons might have better court vision. Ball-handling is debateable. Klay's not good at it, so I don't know why you're taking such a strong stance. Anderson has a better handle, for example. Don't think Simmons does, though.

[Bartleby]

I'm hoping Simmons can provide some solid bench minutes at shooting guard this season, but last night he didn't look like anything more than an elite D-league player.

[SAGirl]

If Simmons has better handles...

That is the point, he doesn't have better handles. You have seen Klay in the NBA. Simmons has played dleague games to the tune of 7-8 TO per game in a few games last season. His game emphasizes plays off the dribble, when the other guys are shooters who will make a play off the dribble as a second or third option, second option after shooting it, being passing. You are comparing apples to oranges and dleague apples to NBA oranges at that, so no can't agree with you there. I really want Simms to succeed bc he has things to his game I like and he's a team player, but you saying he has good ball handles is like saying Kyle is athletic--which he's not.
The issue for Kyle is can he play his game despite his lack of athleticism. The issue for Simms is can he improve those handles, an If he can't how can he be effective at doing other things if you don't want him to dribble in traffic or he's risky out of PnR?

[ceperez]

That is the point, he doesn't have better handles. You have seen Klay in the NBA. Simmons has played dleague games to the tune of 7-8 TO per game in a few games last season. His game emphasizes plays off the dribble, when the other guys are shooters who will make a play off the dribble as a second or third option, second option after shooting it, being passing. You are comparing apples to oranges and dleague apples to NBA oranges at that, so no can't agree with you there. I really want Simms to succeed bc he has things to his game I like and he's a team player, but you saying he has good ball handles is like saying Kyle is athletic--which he's not.
The issue for Kyle is can he play his game despite his lack of athleticism. The issue for Simms is can he improve those handles, an If he can't how can he be effective at doing other things if you don't want him to dribble in traffic or he's risky out of PnR?

I think you are downplaying Simmons ball handling skills too much. I agree that it isn't NBA point guard material, however it is good enough for him to bring the ball up the front court with pressure defense. You saw it in the first pre-season game. He was designated to bring the ball up.

If I were to rank the Spurs players in ball handling skills, it'll be like this:

Parker
Mills
McCallum
Fredette
Ginobili
Anderson
Simmons
Diaw
Leonard
Green
Aldridge
Duncan
Bonner
West
Marjanovic

Better than Diaw, but not better than Anderson. That's good enough for PG if you got Diaw, Anderson and Ginobili on the 2nd team.

[TheDoctor]

That is the point, he doesn't have better handles...

I don't agree. Simmons may not have elite handles but he may have same or better handles than Klay which is average in that regard. Actually, last night 2 defenders (twice) trapped Jonathon at half court and he found a way to outwit and sneak between them dribbling.

[Kawhitstorm]

No.
Just no.

Klay Thompson has the same handles as Gary Neal meaning all he has is an escape dribble or a straight line drive otherwise he gets himself in trouble when he's pressured. Dude can't split a trap nor does he possess change of direction or hesitation moves in his repertoire so you might as well say he's Danny Green w/ a post-up game. Tony Allen made him look silly in the postseason when he tried to take him off the dribble.

nx-MPzAgXIw

[BillMc]

I'm hoping Simmons can provide some solid bench minutes at shooting guard this season, but last night he didn't look like anything more than an elite D-league player.
This

[SAGirl]

I don't agree. Simmons may not have elite handles but he may have same or better handles than Klay which is average in that regard. Actually, last night 2 defenders (twice) trapped Jonathon at half court and he found a way to outwit and sneak between them dribbling.
Several other times he forced shots when he had trouble getting to his spots, twice turned the ball over and not on passes, the TO were on dribble actions, one a carry, the other he dribbled into traffic and had the ball poked away. A few other times didn't turn it over, but he had trouble getting to his spots. To some fans here he didn't even looked like an NBA player, but fine, it's not like I want this guy to fail, so I don't feel like continuing to prove the point. He will hopefully improve TBH. The comparison to SG who are premier shooters is misplaced bc they have different games and Simms relies on plays off the dribble whereas the other guys do not. Rather they are forced to dribble as that is not their strength Simms is not that kind of player. Also, we have not seen Simms get the defensive attention those other guys do get. But, I have said my piece and will just leave it at that. Let's just enjoy his play bc I do root for him.

[Kawhitstorm]

I'm hoping Simmons can provide some solid bench minutes at shooting guard this season, but last night he didn't look like anything more than an elite D-league player.

If you are expecting him to play 20 minutes a game then you are expecting a bit too much. Simmons & Ray are most likely going to split CoJo's minutes (3rd string guard minutes) & Butler/Kyle could split Marco's minutes. Patty is back so he's going to get his 2013-14 minutes so the only left over minutes are going to be when Manu/Tony are resting in which case Simmons/Ray will get increased playing time. In any case, I don't expect Ray or Simmons to play more than 10 minutes a game as long as the rest of the rotation player are relatively healthy.

[ceperez]

I'm hoping Simmons can provide some solid bench minutes at shooting guard this season, but last night he didn't look like anything more than an elite D-league player.

Talk about a bias observation. Did you even look at his stats? 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. He shot poorly, but you don't get this kind of contribution from a D-league player. Incidentally, he has the highest +/- in the team.

[Em-City]

can somebody post what pop says in this article:
http://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Simmons-playmaking-impresses-Popovich-6559804.php