One day after teammate Kyle Anderson stole the show with a 26-point effort in the Utah Summer League opener, Jonathon Simmons upped the standard several notches. The 26-year-old tallied a Summer League-high 35 points, while also adding seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Simmons was razor sharp from the floor, draining 13 of his 18 field-goal attempts, and going 8-for-9 from the foul line. After two games of Summer League play, the second-year guard is averaging 26.5 points on 61 percent (20-for-33) shooting.
Success at this time of year is nothing new for University of Houston product, who was the MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League title game last season after a spectacular performance off the bench that saw him go for 23 points in just 24 minutes. He noticeably improved over his two years in the D-League prior to joining the Spurs in the 2015-16 campaign, averaging 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals in his second season.
Once he was called up to San Antonio in November 2015, flashed that emerging talent on multiple occasions, tallying 10 double-digit scoring efforts in the regular season despite playing over 20 minutes in only 13 games throughout the campaign. He finished his first NBA season with averages of 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.1 blocks over 14.8 minutes. Simmons continued to display the same shooting touch often seen in his developmental days, as he posted an impressive 50.4 percent success rate from the field, and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.
He wasted no time attacking Tuesday, scoring the Spurs’ first points with a driving layup. An eight-point first period was followed a nine-point haul in the second quarter, six of which came on layups after Simmons aggressively drove the lane. The Spurs subsequently exploded for 36 points following intermission, and Simmons was an integral part of the offensive windfall, registering 13 points that consisted of a pair of driving layups, a running dunk, a jumper and a three-pointer, along with two free throws. In the midst of a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Sixers, he capped off his night with four key points courtesy of a pull-up jumper and two more shots from the charity stripe within the final two minutes.
At 6-foot-6, Simmons is capable of playing at both the two-guard and small forward spots when needed. With Kawhi Leonard and fellow Summer Leaguer Kyle Anderson aptly capable of manning the fort at the three, Simmons’ clearest path to expanded opportunity might come at the expense of current starting shooting guard Danny Green, who went through extended stretches of lackluster offensive play last season. However, coach Gregg Popovich certainly values Green’s stalwart defense, meaning that Simmons will need to continue honing that aspect of his game in addition to this rapidly improving offensive repertoire. He’ll also do well to focus on ball security, as the one blemish on his Tuesday performance—a game-high nine turnovers—would be one that Popovich would have plenty to say about.
