Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Progressing on schedule
Rotowire
Simons (thumb) conducted on-court drills Sunday with no splint or cast on his surgically repaired right thumb, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan Portland reports.
Simons remains 2-to-3 weeks away from returning to action after suffering a torn UCL in his right thumb in late October. The 24-year-old continues ramping up and appears on track with the long end of his initial 4-to-6 week recovery timeline.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Undergoes successful surgery
Rotowire
Simons underwent successful right thumb surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and is expected to return to play in approximately six weeks.
Simons suffered his injury against the Clippers on Oct. 25. The 24-year-old guard will likely be out until early-to-mid December. Shaedon Sharpe and Malcolm Brogdon are expected to receive increased playing time in Simons' absence.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Requires surgery, out 4-to-6 weeks
Rotowire
Simons has been diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right thumb and will undergo surgery that is expected to sideline him for 4-to-6 weeks.
Simons sustained his thumb injury during Wednesday's loss to the Clippers and underwent an MRI on Thursday. While his status for Friday's game against the Magic was initially up in the air, he's now facing a multi-week absence following his diagnosis and should be unavailable until at least late November or early December. Shaedon Sharpe and Malcolm Brogdon should see increased work during Simons' absence.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Downgraded to questionable
Rotowire
Simons (thumb) has been downgraded to questionable for Friday's game against the Magic.
Simons was initially deemed probable for Friday's matchup due to a right thumb sprain, but his availability is now murkier in the hours leading up to tipoff. If he's unable to suit up against Orlando, Shaedon Sharpe and Malcolm Brogdon will likely see additional run.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Probable for Friday
Rotowire
Simons is probable for Friday's game against the Magic with a right thumb sprain.
The injury doesn't sound too serious, though it is on Simons' shooting hand. He played 27 minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers and finished with 18 points, four assists, two rebounds, two steals and two three-pointers in 27 minutes.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Puts up 18 points in loss
Rotowire
Simons ended with 18 points (6-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four assists, two rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes during Wednesday's 123-111 loss to the Clippers.
The Trail Blazers are in rebuilding mode, but Simons has been a mainstay for four years and has extensive experience in filling Damian Lillard's shoes. While the team drafted Scoot Henderson to start the transition, replacing Lillard will take more than one effective player, and Simons will be one of the main sparkplugs to ignite the offense, just as he did in Wednesday's season opener.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Ready to roll
Rotowire
Simons is not on the injury report for Wednesday's game against the Clippers.
Simons sat out of the preseason finale on Oct. 16 for rest purposes, so his status for Opening Night wasn't in danger. He'll have the green light shoot as much as he pleases in Portland's revamped offense.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Sitting out Monday
Rotowire
Simons (rest) won't play in Monday's preseason game against the Suns, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports.
Simons, along with the majority of Portland's veteran starters, is getting the night off to rest. Shaedon Sharpe gets the start at shooting guard with Simons getting the night off.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Leads Blazers in scoring
Rotowire
Simons posted 29 points (12-15 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 0-1 FT), a rebound, an assist and two steals across 24 minutes in Saturday's 138-133 preseason loss to the Jazz.
Simons was Portland's best player Saturday night, and he is in line for a massive season following the departure of Damian Lillard, who was traded to the Bucks this offseason. Simons should be one of Portland's main offensive threats on a game-to-game basis during the regular season, and he could easily top his career-best averages of 21.1 points and 4.1 assists per game from last season.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Scores 15 points in preseason loss
Rotowire
Simons recorded 15 points (4-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four assists, one rebound and two steals over 23 minutes Thursday in an exhibition loss to the Suns.
Rookie Scoot Henderson (22 points on 8-for-14 shooting) outshined Simons in the contest, though the latter still led the team with three triples. Simons has gone 6-for-10 from deep through his first two preseason contests, highlighting his biggest strength, especially from a fantasy perspective. While Henderson will likely be given every opportunity to shine as the Blazers' starting point guard, Simons should see a bump in opportunity and production this season now that Damian Lillard is in Milwaukee.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Nets 14 points in preseason opener
Rotowire
Simons finished with 14 points (4-7 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 3-5 FT), one rebound, no assists and four turnovers across 17 minutes in Tuesday's 106-66 preseason over the New Zealand Breakers.
Simons was efficient as a scorer, particularly from three-point range, where he missed just one of his four attempts. While he led Portland in scoring, he didn't contribute much else, adding just one board while turning the ball over four times and picking up three fouls. With Damian Lillard now in Milwaukee, Simons should have an opportunity to increase his scoring output this season after averaging a career-best 21.1 points last year. He'll likely be a solid source of points and triples, though it remains to be seen if he can contribute enough elsewhere to leap into fantasy stardom.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Sitting out Sunday
Rotowire
Simons (foot) is listed as out for Sunday's game against the Warriors.
As expected, Simons will remain sidelined for a 11th straight game with a right foot soreness to close out the regular season. He'll finish the campaign with averages of 21.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 three-pointers, 2.6 assists and 0.7 steals in 35.0 minutes per game across 62 appearances.
Simons (foot) is out for Saturday's game versus the the Clippers.
Simons will miss his 10th straight game Saturday with right foot soreness. Considering the Trail Blazers have already been eliminated from playoff contention, it would be surprising for him to suit up for Sunday's matchup with Golden State.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Still out Thursday
Rotowire
Simons (foot) has been ruled out for Thursday's game agains the Spurs.
Simons is slated to miss a ninth straight game. He's not expected to suit up again this season, so Shaedon Sharpe (knee), Skylar Mays and Cam Reddish (back) will presumably continue to handle increased workloads, though Shaquille Harrison and Jeenathan Williams could crack the rotation if Sharpe and/or Reddish are downgraded to out.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Remains out Tuesday
Rotowire
Simons (foot) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Grizzlies.
Simons will be unavailable for an eighth consecutive game due to a sore right foot. His next opportunity to return will be Thursday against the Spurs.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Still out against Minnesota
Rotowire
Simons (foot) won't play in Sunday's game versus the Timberwolves.
Simons is set to miss his seventh straight game Sunday due to right foot soreness. His next chance to suit up is Tuesday's matchup with Memphis.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Won't play Friday
Rotowire
Simons (foot) has been ruled out of Friday's contest against the Kings.
Simons is slated to miss his sixth consecutive contest Friday as he deals with right foot soreness. The guard's next chance to play is Sunday against the Timberwolves. Expect Shaedon Sharpe to see an increase in minutes with Simons out.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Still out Wednesday
Rotowire
Simons (foot) won't play in Wednesday's game versus the Kings.
Simons' absence streak will extend to five games while recovering from right foot soreness. His next chance to suit up is Friday's rematch with Sacramento.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Out again Monday
Rotowire
Simons (foot) is out for Monday's game against the Pelicans.
Simons is slated to miss a fourth straight game due to right foot soreness. With Damian Lillard (calf) also out, Ryan Arcidiacono, Shaedon Sharpe and Cam Reddish (back) are all candidates for increased roles in the backcourt.
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Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons: Won't play Sunday
Rotowire
Simons (foot) has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Thunder.
This absence will mark Simons' third straight game on the sidelines, and his immediate future is a bit cloudy, especially if the Blazers decide to shut down Damian Lillard (calf) for the rest of the season, as it wouldn't be shocking if they take that same route with other starters as well. Simons has missed nine of a possible 15 games since the All-Star break, averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 41.7 percent from the floor in the six games he's been healthy.
