The San Antonio Spurs have been locked in at the 18th pick in this year’s NBA Draft for some time now. And that means we get to speculate on who the Spurs will pick this year. Of course, their pick is going to be quite dependent on any potential offseason moves at the guard position. Having said that, this week’s prospect to watch is a combo guard in Anfernee Simons.
Simons is coming out of a prep academy without attending college thanks to a loophole in the NBA Draft rules. It states that as long as a potential draftee is one year removed from high school graduation, he is eligible to get drafted. That applies to Simons as he graduated from Edgewater High School in Orlando in 2017. He then went to the prestigious IMG Academy for a post-graduate year.
There aren’t complete stats for him during his IMG career, but he has continuously and consistently impressed scouts that saw him play against other top-tier competition this past season. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard is not likely to make an immediate impact, but the upside in his game is very clear to see.
The Orlando native is super springy, supremely athletic and is an excellent shooter, especially off the dribble. He’s crafty with his handles as well and can get nearly any shot he wants over the course of a game. He is a solid rebounder thanks to his jumping ability and can shoot from anywhere on the floor.
He will have to get considerably stronger to be able to play at the NBA level, but all of the skills are there. He is a bit undersized to play at shooting guard and he can be focused on scoring too much at times. However, he hasn’t played with the kind of talent he would on an NBA team, which would certainly change some of those habits. He would be a good player to draft if the Spurs had the intention of stashing him on the G-League affiliate and getting him in the weight room so he can hold his own with the big boys.
You can check out some of his highlights here:
