Blazers’ Simons Rises Above Struggles with Persistence

Thursday’s contest against theJazzended in a loss for theTrail Blazers. On the positive side, second-year guardAnfernee Simonsregained 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 withTrail Blazers reporter Casey Holdahlabout 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, coachTerry Stottstabbed 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 byclicking here.