Simmons

[bic50]

Recent Spurs games:





Seems to know how to finish in traffic.

At :30 even pop gives simmons that fist pump. He doesn't really do that often, must really see something in simmons.

[DJR210]

Recent Spurs games:

Needs to start going to that spin move every game and see if it's working.. the separation he was able to create was

[SpursFan86]

Reminds me a bit of Lance Stephenson (2013/2014 Stephenson, not absolute garbage current Stephenson)

[ceperez]

At :30 even pop gives simmons that fist pump. He doesn't really do that often, must really see something in simmons.

Hmmm... a reaction from Pop... that's means a lot!

[SAGirl]

He has enough potential with the athleticism, explosiveness, and quickness to get excited about. That is all this is. Whether he puts it together with solid play can't be predicted at this point because he is older. He could be a late bloomer, or he could not. His dribble could be as good as its ever going to get or it could improve. His shooting could get better, or he could get to the point where his drives are stopped bc everyone sags off him. It's unknown.

What he more realistically can be is a solid role player who can play off others really well (all of his baskets in the Denver game were assisted, its not like he was there being a Manu clone, or getting his own shots with ease, lets be real). He has actually struggled when he has to improvise and create, that would be a role he would have to develop into, he's not there right now and because of his age, I have a lower ceiling for him.

IMO, when Manu retires, what he provided will not be replaced by a single player, it will require a team effort, and your 6th man may not necessarily be a SG.

I actually see more potential long term in Anderson, for different reasons. More skill, size and length to play as a stretch 4, changes the dynamic in the SL when he plays at that spot, provides playmaking from an unexpected spot, can create his own shot under duress, has elite ball handling and passing for someone of his size, has solid decision making already for a player that young and inexperienced, he is unlikely to play in a reckless way or make silly mistakes, and he has very good defensive instincts using his length and his size. He's the more unique prospect overall, but that doesn't take anything away from the fact that Simmons is super athletic and provides a dimension to the team that it has lacked so far.

[SnakeBoy]

Yeah KA has a much higher ceiling.

I just don't see Simmons developing into much more than he is. He doesn't look to have a very good bb iq to me. I hope I'm wrong though, would love to see him become all that his fans think he will be.

[DMC]

The last time I remember getting excited about one of these deep-bench project guys was Garrett Temple. The prospect of a 6'6" PG was just too much to resist. And he showed "flashes" of being good. I let myself see what I wanted him to be more than what he really was.

Quin Snyder liked him enough I Austin to talk about bringing him to Utah. He's gotten a bunch of D-League call ups. And he got what? a 2-year contract from the Wizards? I wish I was that good. But Temple isn't changing the fortunes of the Wizards in any noticeable way. And that was sort of my assessment of what to expect from Simmons. But if he does turn into much more than that, it will be yet another example of the Spurs' knack for recognizing and developing diamonds in the rough. Hopefully I will be the one to come back and say, "Holy , I really missed that one."

I will say this: Spurs' fans are spoiled, and have really high expectations. So far, this kid is all about potential - not the kind of optimism and certainty I'm hearing. If he fails to turn into Manu II, some of you will be the first ones to turn on him, and question why he's even on the floor. Right now a lot of you are basing your optimism on improvement over how he was playing, and not on how good he is playing. Been there, done that with Temple.

I liked Temple as well, but Pop thought he was immature for some reason. I saw him as a Danny Green type before Danny arrived.

[TheGreatYacht]

Best SG at the moment.......

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Yeah KA has a much higher ceiling.

I just don't see Simmons developing into much more than he is. He doesn't look to have a very good bb iq to me. I hope I'm wrong though, would love to see him become all that his fans think he will be.

True. His basketball iq is not as High as Manu's or even Kawhi's, but its on par with what it takes to play the Spurs game.

Simmons has ELITE NBA athleticism, and yes I mean ELITE. He can take it to the hoop on almost anyone one-on-one. That makes up for his IQ not being as high as others. He is like Westbrook, but WB being probably THE most athletic player I have seen in the NBA over the past 15 years.

Simmons did awesome last night (and he put most of his points up against the Buck starters). 8 pts 1 rb 2 ast and ONLY 1 TURNOVER. I think as he gets more comfortable with his game, he can easily be a guy that avg. like 14-15 ppg off the bench for the Spurs. Spurs haven't had a player this athletic with a decent BB IQ until early Manu days.

Simmons has improved faster than I thought he would. I thought it would take him another month to start playing like he is. Pop must be individually going over the film with Simmons b/c you can see him noticeably not making the same mistakes from one game to the next. And his Defense rotations and closeouts have vastly improved over his preseason showing.

Simmons could be just another one of those guys that feel through the cracks like Green and SJax. Simmons/Butler is the reason Manu only had to play 11 minutes last night. Hopefully he continues his growth because he definitely is heads and shoulder above most other bench players in the NBA in terms of athleticism.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

At :30 even pop gives simmons that fist pump. He doesn't really do that often, must really see something in simmons.

It seems like the coaches like him and he his a humble guy. I didn't notice Pop reaction. Like I mentioned in the above post, it really seems like Pop is working extra individually with Simmons because you can just see the improved in his game is such a short time. Screw Jimmer. I rather have Spurs develop this guy because he wants to be the best player he can be and is grateful just being on the Spurs at this point. Your typical Spurs guy.

http://www.nba.com/spurs/jonathon-simmons-scenic-route

[ceperez]

True. His basketball iq is not as High as Manu's or even Kawhi's, but its on par with what it takes to play the Spurs game.

Simmons has ELITE NBA athleticism, and yes I mean ELITE. He can take it to the hoop on almost anyone one-on-one. That makes up for his IQ not being as high as others. He is like Westbrook, but WB being probably THE most athletic player I have seen in the NBA over the past 15 years.

Simmons did awesome last night (and he put most of his points up against the Buck starters). 8 pts 1 rb 2 ast and ONLY 1 TURNOVER. I think as he gets more comfortable with his game, he can easily be a guy that avg. like 14-15 ppg off the bench for the Spurs. Spurs haven't had a player this athletic with a decent BB IQ until early Manu days.

Simmons has improved faster than I thought he would. I thought it would take him another month to start playing like he is. Pop must be individually going over the film with Simmons b/c you can see him noticeably not making the same mistakes from one game to the next. And his Defense rotations and closeouts have vastly improved over his preseason showing.

Simmons could be just another one of those guys that feel through the cracks like Green and SJax. Simmons/Butler is the reason Manu only had to play 11 minutes last night. Hopefully he continues his growth because he definitely is heads and shoulder above most other bench players in the NBA in terms of athleticism.

I've been pretty high on Simmons because he's got three skills that go beyond just being super athletic.

(1) Finish in traffic with either hand.
(2) Make good passes in traffic.
(3) Attack the rim using different angles.

There are a lot of athletic players in the D-league, but you will find very few players with the kind of natural instinct as Simmons.

What Simmons lacks are the skills that Manu and Boris have, that is, know how to pass the ball other than in a straight line. Not many in the league have this skill set, so expecting Simmons to have it is asking too much.