There wasn't much to complain about throughout the first week of the Philadelphia 76ers' 2026-2027 NBA season, but the struggles from Anfernee Simons were a valid talking point.
Through four games, Simons came off the bench, averaging over 20 minutes of action. He lived up to the expectations of letting shots fly at a high volume, attempting 21 shots from three over those four games. However, living up to expectations of seeing shots fall near a 40% clip was a different story. Just five of those shots went in for an average of 23.8%.
Anfernee Simons issued everybody a reminder
The veteran guard reminded everybody that he didn't have a true preseason. Before the Sixers reached the first game of their exhibition schedule, Simons suffered a hamstring injury that took him out of training camp. The 76ers didn't have him on board for the entire run.
When the Sixers reached their first game of the regular season, Simons played games with announcing his availability as he was questionable going into the opener. The veteran sharpshooter was cleared to play, and checked in for 25 minutes to get his feet wet. It was a solid start for Simons, as he dropped 13 points against the New York Knicks. From that point on, all single-digit showings with poor shooting.
Wednesday's action between the Sixers and the Indiana Pacers was a fresh start for Simons, who basically played out his personal preseason last week. After he told reporters that, contrary to popular belief, preseason is valuable, Simons came to the court in Indiana with an entirely different look. One that the Sixers will hope to see many times throughout the season.
Anfernee Simons stars off the bench against the Pacers
Amid a 114-109 win for the Sixers against the Pacers, Simons checked in off the bench for 27 minutes. He wasted no time heating up from the field. After getting off to a hot start, Simons finished strong.
The 76ers' veteran took 11 shots from the field, with all but one of them coming from beyond the arc. Simons hit on six of his threes--going 7-for-11 from the field. He dropped 20 points, along with producing three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Simons was one of four Sixers to notch 20 points on the night. He led the bench in scoring, producing all but five of the reserves' points.
It's one game, so it's not time to get carried away, but that's precisely why the Simons signing garnered so much hype back in July. As long as Simons is truly entering his personal regular season timeline, he could start to insert himself into early Sixth Man of the Year conversations if that type of performance comes from him nightly.
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