Why do you think he and Manu will be on the floor at the same time? Judging by his skill set and the way Becky used him in SL, I think the Spurs see him as a versatile player along the lines of Manu. I see him more as a Manu apprentice and fill-in for Manu's DNPs. Granted, at this point his defense seems to be more NBA-ready than his offense. And his best offense is driving to the hole, but with Chip around, I don't rule out his developing a decent 3-pt shot. I'm really rooting for the guy, hoping he can max-out his potential.
Why he's playing with Manu? That's because he's part of the 2nd unit. Unless you think he should start???!
So he needs to fit within the capabilities of who he's in the court with.
This would likely be:
Manu
Mills
Diaw
West
with the fourth slot replaceable with either: Anderson, Marjanovic or Simmons.
He's not going to have the kind of freedom he had in D-League or in SL.
There is of course the situation where Manu isn't playing. This is likely in the regular season.
I think you are right; he definitely has good defensive instincts. But he already shows far more potential than Danny for getting his own shot, especially going to the hole. But IMO, both Danny and Kawhi are great young role models for new guys hoping to become true Spurs. Concentrate on the D and Pop will be much more impressed. They need to take the O as it comes and not push it, but by the same token, being too passive will get you in the doghouse like Jefferson. If young players can walk that fine line, that shows the kind of judgment and maturity that Pop will reward.
Foul free defense. Efficient offense.
His best offensive weapon is when he slashes to the basket. With his ability to use either hand, eurostep and use his incredible vertical. Add that his ability to score on a floater while receiving contact. Incredible offensive talent. Much better than the one-dimensional RJ that you reference.
Looking forward to see his game at the NBA level.
I agree. I am very excited about Simmons' prospects. I only reference RJ because he became overly passive and deferential to the big 3. I don't see Simmons going that route.
I'm still not sure that I see him on the floor with Manu that much - especially in a lineup with Mills. Against most opponents I envision Anderson filling in the 5th slot in your second unit. I think McCallum may get some starts if Tony is a DNP for whatever reason. And I think Simmons slides into the spot you have designated for Manu when he gets a DNP. I think that's where most of Simmons' minutes will come.
I know the forum is excited about Simmons, as am I. But, I think he should spend the early part of the season smoothing out the rough edges of his gamelan Austin. He has tantalizing tools and athleticism, but I think just a bit more seasoning and a more ball-dominant role in Austin will pay serious dividends.
I like the kid a lot though. Might be tough to keep him on the bench if he continues to bring that intensity and versatility.
He's going to get every opportunity when Manu has a DNP.
If he gets better with his ball handling skills then he could also replace McCallum's spot. Nobody is going to argue that CoJo is better than Simmons.
I see Simmons taking manus minutes by seasons end tbh.
He's just a rookie and in a team like the Spurs that's loaded with talent, they just don't pin their championship hope on a rookie.
This is also what I think. I don't envision him sharing the lineup with Manu regularly. I think Anderson will get whatever small minutes of backup SF are available. But Simmons will get chances to play when Manu has DNP or there are injuries. Anderson ended up playing 33 games last season just on injuries and rest days alone, without ever having the smallest chance at the rotation last year. I think this year Anderson plays more and Simmons goes the rookie route: learning by observing and getting the most out of your opportunities. Anderson has a different game than both Manu and Simmons, so he is a good pairing with either, he has size, rebounding and is a good help defender. He also brings playmaking with a different style likely to give the bench different options than just a PnR, such as opportunities pushing the offense from rebounds in transition, a strength of Anderson's, etc.
I do think Simmons has the potential to carry that bench with Mills and Anderson when Manu sits and hopefully develop into a rotation piece for when Manu retires, but we'll see.
Well, I for one, hope Simmons' game translates and he plays more than only on days when Manu sits.
Manu became my second favorite player in his prime, or even at a time almost equal favorite (1B) next to Tim because of his driving game and taking it to the rack hard (which I love that type of game) and I see similarities with Simmons' game, so I really want him on the court if he can play his game on the next level.
Obviously there is other things in Manu's game such as his passion, fire, determination, fearlessness that made me a huge fan of his, but Simmons has some similarities that get me a little excited.
I really still do think this team needs a player/s that can get to the rim and finish since that isn't a huge part of Manu's game anymore. With TP not being able to do it last season, the team was really lacking that type of player. I was hoping Kawhi would be able to do it last season, but for whatever reason he didn't drive it much. Not sure if that's because of his handles or if he felt that a jumper was a better option for him. Hopefully this season Kawhi and also Danny can start getting to the rack more and finishing or getting fouled.
I'm not going to build up any expectations that Danny can start getting to the rack. He's not the kind of player that seems capable of improvising.
Simmons can improvise in the lane, he has rare combination of athleticism and improvisation while in attacking the rim. He's ambidextrous, that's a tremendous advantage when you can go strong either side.
It indeed is surprising that a player this good just drops into the lap of the Spurs. He wasn't even drafted and didn't even play in the D-league after college. Going to be a legendary rags to riches story.
Really excited to see Simmons play against NBA talent!
Depends. If he plays at a high level in the preseason and the first three weeks there is no need to send him down. Operation preserve Manu could be fully implemented.
He's already played two seasons in Austin. I am not so sure that him playing another 20-25 games up there at the beginning of the season are going to bring him along that much further than the 94 games he's already played. If no one is injured, and he's not getting playing time because he's in a suit behind the bench, then I'm all for shuttling him back and forth to Austin, some. But, given so many of our guys are 30+, I hope that we get them early rest days/DNPs, and I do not hope for, but fully expect injuries.
He's also not 21. He's an older, hopefully, more mature dude. I hope the opposite of you. I hope they find lots of opportunities to begin working him hard into the big Spurs, if they can. I want Tim, Manu, Tony, Boban, and maybe Patty (if his shoulder still is requiring any rest), to be rotating (not a cuff pun) in and out of suits whenever possible, just as a preventative. Bonner, too, for age and skill/depth reasons, all. God forbid an injury, and I think both Anderson and Simmons will both be suited (in uniform-not Barney Stinson-style) up many if not most nights?
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think he would learn a lot quicker in this situation. He has come a long way, obviously, playing for the Spurs-Austin, but after a couple of years, I would imagine that learning curve begins to flatten out a little, and you get some point of diminishing return. Like bacterial growth. Not exponential out to infinity, but a plateau. Probably learns more up here in a first year than down there for a third?
We've got several new pieces. They've all got to play a little to get acclimated with each other. It would seem you really want to do that early in the season, not late. When they screw up early, the vets can save their asses.
If Jimmer stays, or the guy that replaces him is not a Spurs-Austin guy (maybe even if he is, depending upon tenure), Jimmer or that dude may benefit the most from getting playing time in Austin just to learn the system a little bit. I don't know if Jimmer or McCallum would be sent, as they may see it as an affront. But, Daye was sent, and he was a 5 year vet, so it's not out of the question, I guess.
Maybe he ends up not being ready for the big leagues, but I hope he's good enough to get early and often burn, to allow Manu to rest as much as possible.
I agree with you in that I don't see the purpose of sending him to Austin when he already played there 2 years. I could see him being sent down to keep his rythm and stuff like that if he's not playing for a stretch, but I suspect they will need him. LIke you, I don't wish injuries, but there are always some here or there. I think the challenge for Simmons is knowing his role and the team defensive schemes. I saw him get lost on defense even in the SL and Kyle pointing ou to him to rotate and stuff like that. He might go through phases like Danny did at the very beginning, where the athleticism and quickness is there on defense, but there are mental lapses, missed rotations, lack of closing out on shooters and stuff like that. He also might have a different role, and may need to sit on the bench to observe and learn. Kyle already went through that last year and his awareness in team defense is actually really good, his issue is athleticism, but most of the time he actually knows what he needs to do and where to be. I do think both guys will play, the wing depth will allow for minutes to both. Neither Manu nor Kawhi have played a full 82 season anyway for the past years.
Exactly. I believe Simmons, McCallum and Anderson will be given enough rope to hang themselves early. They are on the team, but they will be given every opportunity to play themselves out of the rotation (and out of San Antonio) before the trade deadline. The Spurs have to know what they have coming down the stretch and into the playoffs.
I agree. Spurs standards are pretty high. It is not enough to perform well in the regular season. Players have to deliver come playoff time.
Simmons= Dwade.
Can't believe I didn't check in yet....
Hope one of you s saved your boy a seat.
Simmons and Manu can work perfectly together because Manu will give him an assist pass as Simmons breaks for the basket every time. If he can move without the ball and catch a pass and finish half as well as he can dribble for a layup, they'll have a lot of fun playing pass, catch and score.
If you were Pop, wouldn't you limit Manus minutes before the All-Star Break A LOT? Simmons might have a chance early to earn his Spurs. That's what I would do. Manu needs to be fresh and ready for playoffs.
We won't know if he is any good until the end of the year.
Anderson will be the first option to take some of Manu's minutes ... if he sucks, Simmons has a legitimate chance to get into the regular rotation.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
