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Blazers’ Simons Rises Above Struggles with Persistence

Second-year Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons emerged out of a slump to put forth a strong outing against the Jazz.

NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday’s contest against the Jazz ended in a loss for the Trail Blazers. On the positive side, second-year guard Anfernee Simons regained his footing and produced 15 points off the bench.

Mired in foul trouble, Simons has endured a month full of learning opportunities. Following his first double-digit scoring performance since Dec. 10, Simons spoke with Trail Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl about his mindset through the last few weeks.

“You can’t let it affect you,” said Simons. “I’ve been trying to bring a positive attitude and bring something else to the table instead of scoring, like going out there and getting rebounds and playing defense as well. I’ve been kind of occupying myself with that more.”

Regardless of the outcome for the team, coach Terry Stotts tabbed Simons’ night as one of his best games of the year.

“I thought Anfernee played maybe one of his best games of the season,” said Terry Stotts. “He had a tough defensive assignment, he was able to score, he shot efficiently.”

Through 32 contests, Simons is producing 9.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

You can read Holdahl’s full story by clicking here.