Anfernee Simons Reflects on the Portland Trail Blazers’ Poor 2023-24 Campaign: ‘We Don’t Want to Have Another Year Like This’

“We don’t want to have another year like this. My sixth year is done now. Going into year seven, I want to have an opportunity to win,” Anfernee Simons said via Sean Highkin on X (formerly known as Twitter).

In his exit interview, Portland Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin also admitted they are “not good enough yet” while confirming that Chauncey Billups will return as head coach next season. It’ll only get worse before it gets better for the team since they’re in for a major rebuild.

Anfernee Simons for the Portland Trail Blazers this season

Since joining the Portland Trail Blazers as a 19-year-old in 2018-19, Anfernee Simons has improved year after year. 

After averaging single-digits in points in his first three seasons as an understudy to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Anfernee Simons averaged 17.3 points per game in 2021-22, making him one of the candidates for the Most Improved Player of the Year award at the time. He is also an NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion in 2021.

This season, Anfernee Simons is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 22.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range.

Besides Anfernee Simons, the Portland Trail Blazers have other talented guards like Malcolm Brogdon, Scoot Henderson, Dalano Banton, and Shaedon Sharpe. 

The Portland Trail Blazers have a chance to add another key piece to their puzzle this summer via the NBA Draft, as they have a 13.3 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick, according to Tankathon.com