Simmons assigned to Austin

[ChumpDumper]

SAN ANTONIO (November 7, 2015) – The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have assigned forward Jonathon Simmons to the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League.
Simmons, 6-6/195, was signed by San Antonio on July 22, 2015, after spending the past two seasons with the Austin Spurs. The Texas native made the team after attending an open tryout in Austin in 2013. Last season Simmons was named to the NBA D-League All-Defensive Third Team while appearing in all 50 games, averaging 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.00 steals in 33.8 minutes. Simmons shot .494 (277-561) from the field, .398 (51-128) from three-point range and .750 (153-204) from the charity stripe.

During his two years with Austin, Simmons appeared in a total of 94 games, averaging 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.00 blocks in 28.8 minutes while shooting .506 (446-882) from the field, .352 (76-216) from beyond the arc and .736 (22-303) from the foul line.

Simmons has not appeared in a game with San Antonio this season.

The Austin Spurs tip off their season on Friday, Nov. 13 when they host the Texas Legends at the Cedar Park Center at 7:30 p.m.

http://austin.dleague.nba.com/news/spurs-assign-jonathon-simmons-to-austin-spurs/

Makes sense. D-League training camp seems much shorter than it use to be.

[spursgu]

Sounds about right. He hasn't looked NBA ready.

[SAGirl]

It will be interesting if they have him handle the ball a lot over there. If he could improve his handles it would really make him an NBA player. He needs to work on his shooting too.

[ChumpDumper]

No true point guards on the Toros roster, so it would be natural for Simmons to handle the ball quite a bit.

A lot of potential on this season's roster. Could be fun if they learn how to play basketball.

[BackHome]

Always wanted them to do this with Green.

[ChumpDumper]

Always wanted them to do this with Green.They did. He dominated so hard it didn't make any sense to keep him there.

[Lostwingman]

No true point guards on the Toros roster, so it would be natural for Simmons to handle the ball quite a bit.

A lot of potential on this season's roster. Could be fun if they learn how to play basketball.

If this is really the case that'd be pretty exciting.

[ChumpDumper]

I think Simmons' being a part of the mothership will help him compared to other seasons, as his development will be the focus of the Austin staff as it was for Joseph and Anderson before him. There is a lot of borderline NBA talent in the backcourt, but Simmons will be the priority.

[kawhidoyoudothistome]

I think Simmons' being a part of the mothership will help him compared to other seasons, as his development will be the focus of the Austin staff as it was for Joseph and Anderson before him. There is a lot of borderline NBA talent in the backcourt, but Simmons will be the priority.

I think if he matures his game a little over there, we could possibly get the player we were hoping for once the season started. Could take a while, but I'd speculate that if he did really well in the role of "facilitator", he'd get back into the Spurs by the ASB. Not scorer...facilitator. How was his defense in the PS? Couldn't have been terrible.

[ChumpDumper]

I think if he matures his game a little over there, we could possibly get the player we were hoping for once the season started. Could take a while, but I'd speculate that if he did really well in the role of "facilitator", he'd get back into the Spurs by the ASB. Not scorer...facilitator. How was his defense in the PS? Couldn't have been terrible.He showed flashes on D that explain why he was kept. The highlight for me was an impressive denial sequence on Harden. That's something you might be able to build on.

[K...]

Cool,,a reason to catch some Toro Action.

When does the final roster come out? I know 1/2 the team was done by camp cut assigned and the draft,

[ChumpDumper]

Cool,,a reason to catch some Toro Action.

When does the final roster come out? I know 1/2 the team was done by camp cut assigned and the draft,They only really have to waive 3 players next week. My guess is they will waive a couple of guards from last year's squad and the other 7 footer named Ndoye they signed just to confuse people. That Cameroonian they drafted from a college in the Philippines looks intriguing.

[ElNono]

there's just no minutes for him on the Spurs right now... at least he'll work out

[SAGirl]

I think if he matures his game a little over there, we could possibly get the player we were hoping for once the season started. Could take a while, but I'd speculate that if he did really well in the role of "facilitator", he'd get back into the Spurs by the ASB. Not scorer...facilitator. How was his defense in the PS? Couldn't have been terrible.
It was bad. Rook mistakes and correctable things. Got screened a lot, stuck on picks, ballwatching allowing his man to get easy back cuts. Getting faked out of plays, gambling for steals, and foul prone when defending guys who post up. Just a lot of rook mistakes.

[DJR210]

Average 40 points in the D-League on soaring dunks.. Pass around the perimeter and defer to Bonner in the NBA

[cd98]

He's an old, old rookie. He got a contract bc he performed well against scrubs. I bet he spends a lot of time in Austin barring injuries. And he'll definitely be cut if another free agent opportunity happens

[kawhidoyoudothistome]

It was bad. Rook mistakes and correctable things. Got screened a lot, stuck on picks, ballwatching allowing his man to get easy back cuts. Getting faked out of plays, gambling for steals, and foul prone when defending guys who post up. Just a lot of rook mistakes.

It does all sound correctable. Definitely has the strength to get through tough screens. Not expecting the next Danny, but am expecting a competent defender that can guard 1-3.

[Othyus Lalanne]

He's an old, old rookie. He got a contract bc he performed well against scrubs. I bet he spends a lot of time in Austin barring injuries. And he'll definitely be cut if another free agent opportunity happens
Wasn't Gary Neal also very old by NBA standards?

[K...]

Wasn't Gary Neal also very old by NBA standards?

yeah, but he was also a euro star. Thats a level of competition above what simmons has had. And Neal had a much simpler skill set: Shoot, shoot, shoot. Simmons is a 3d guard who may also be able to pass and slash.

[tholdren]

It was bad. Rook mistakes and correctable things. Got screened a lot, stuck on picks, ballwatching allowing his man to get easy back cuts. Getting faked out of plays, gambling for steals, and foul prone when defending guys who post up. Just a lot of rook mistakes.

These are rookie high school mistakes. He's a professional trying to grab the last spot. I don't care about the gambling for steals, and I like his motor, but how dumb do you have to be to get back doored, and not being able to avoid or get through screens?

The problem I see is him being out of control. The problem with that is him going 100mph is his strength, how do you balance his stupidity by telling him to calm down, without losing his energy and aggression...

[Drom John]

Isn't Cotton a PG?

[Othyus Lalanne]

yeah, but he was also a euro star. Thats a level of competition above what simmons has had. And Neal had a much simpler skill set: Shoot, shoot, shoot. Simmons is a 3d guard who may also be able to pass and slash.

Alright? How do we know? How many guys arrived at the NBA with his age while not coming from Europe?(i assume Europe=lot's of mileage)

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Not surprising. Simmons has potential, but he is very raw. The preseason showed ALOT of film for him and coaches to decipher what parts of his game he needs to work on. I am sure he has been working with the coaches over the past two months and now they want to send him to Austin so he can perfect and work on his game.

I expect the team to recall him back in February or so that he can have some playing time to gauge how much he has improved over this course of time.