Watch Simmons.... very impressive!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1yF8HYs8h8
Notice how he beats 2 defenders. Also he goes either left or right. Slashes and dishes out.... just perfect for the Spurs.
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Watch Simmons.... very impressive!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1yF8HYs8h8
Notice how he beats 2 defenders. Also he goes either left or right. Slashes and dishes out.... just perfect for the Spurs.
Meanwhile... Anderson is beating up everyone at the block:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88os5pjIEa0
I don't know how this translates to the NBA.
Not saying Simmons is going to be a future HOF but Kurt Warner was bagging groceries at 24 and playing in the arena league at 25. Peoples lives and careers often follow different paths to success. Bruce Bowen didn't get an NBA look until he was 26 and he did okay for himself too.
Simmons just didn't get the opportunities when he was younger. He barely got out of high school. 2 years in community college. Never got drafted. Played in some bush league somewhere. Out of plain chance, he was picked up by the Toros. That's where he learned his craft.... 2 years in the Toros. Without that development, he would just be another 6'5" player.
I hope his upward trajectory is still building momentum and he keeps progressing at this rate now that he is getting put in this position with world class coaching and talent around him. Sometimes not having the easy path can make you hungrier than others for success.
Let's see how Simmons plays when the regular season starts and he is up against NBA caliber players. Then we will find out if he can really play at the NBA level.
The original question is obviously loaded. But it's very hard to answer. Anderson and Simmons are hugely different players with different skill sets.
Who has the most potential upside? Kyle Anderson. Hes just so unique and unusual....and still very young to boot. Hes already showing good leadership skills and has a very high BBIQ. And considering how his game basically relies on athleticism to no degree he could have a very long career once he cracks the code - if he cracks it.
Who has the most usefulness immediately? Jonathon Simmons. Anderson left the team with so many questions last year after some consistently terrible outings. He showed flashes at times, but not nearly often enough. He has a lot of major problems that will require him to rework his game. Simmons on the other hand seems to have it all. Decent defense and capable distance shooting. Hes a super athlete that can drive left, or right, and pass on the move. Euro step? Check. Hesitation? Check. I don't think anyone knows what his ceiling is but he could be a nice little sparkplug right away in limited minutes and will be able to guard opposing benches 2's and 3's (and maybe even some 1's).
And anderson is a better option?
This isn't about kawhi. when you're evaluating possiblities, you look at sample sizes. Kawhi has played as a perimter playmaker in a spurs system multiple times, anderson hasn't.
No one is saying to make Kawhi the number 1 playmaker, this is about who would take away some playmaking responsilbies from manu...
Neither has shown something good above the D-League or summer league level. Simmons just hasn't played at a higher level and Anderson rookie season with Spurs was underwhelming. Given the huge gap between Summer league/D-League and the NBA, it's nearly impossible to make projections based on their current performance. Both are huge question marks that are from sure of being able to contribute with Spurs.
Hey I've become a Simmons fan during this SL and hope he thrives in the NBA...but the topic is would you keep KA or Simmons if you had choose. If PATFO called every team in the league and told them they had to get rid of one of the two and to pick one, every other FO in the league would pick KA.
I am amazed by the full confidence many of you have on Anderson. He is the weak link on that second unit. Matter of fact, I'm disappointed he's still on team.
Simmons is the kind of player that I like. He's athletic, can drive and get to the rim and finish with either hand. He also seems to play defense and isn't too bad of a passer either. That's the kind of player that I like at SG/SF. I've felt the last few years since Manu has changed up his game and stopped driving to the rack as much as in his early days, I've really felt that the Spurs needed another player that can do this.
Right now it's just D-League and Summer League, but I really hope that Simmons can keep improving by working on his ball handling, shooting and also on being a more fundamental defender. If he can really work hard at improving on the things he does well, then I think he has a chance of being an NBA player. I hope that his game can/will translate to the NBA level.
Wow, people are making projections left and right based on summer league level basketball. :lol
Kyle is 21. Did that as a HS and college player, was successful, a McDonald's all american, five star, state champion, division champion at UCLA as the best player in that team, you name it. There is a reason they have him doing what he is doing in SL and winning with him as the leader. Offense goes through him. Obviously that is a far cry from what he will be doing in the bench. But he has been a competitor and a winner at every stage. We are privileged to have gotten him at 30 and that is how the Spurs organization feels about it. Aside from being the best player on the SL team, he does control the tempo. The SL team is his team. Simmons is the 6th man from the bench. Eddie is your designated shooter. He will not play like this in the bench this season, but he can have nights when he will go off and do things like this. If you have him in your bench, he will make plays. If he has made contested shots, how do you think he won't make open shots? Unbelievable... Last year he played little but when he was in the rotation in Dec. He was balling. Made good decisions with the ball, had a terrific assist to TO ratio, and made good decisions on which shots to take, created for teammates, but whatever. Some people will only see his slowmo and there won't be any convincing them. I don't know if KA will make the rotation, but obviously RC saw there was no need to keep looking. Simmons brings athleticism and that is valuable, but no need to make it seem like KA can't ball.
Sign-off and comeback in the regular season if you don't want to see projections based on summer league. You should expect nothing less than this type of discussion. Probably the best discussion topic you're going to find after the draft and beginning part of free agent signings.