The Portland Trail Blazers headed into the 2023-24 NBA regular season with high hopes of starting a rebuilding process with a talented young group of players led by rookie guard Scoot Henderson.
Along with Henderson, the team is hoping to see some of the other young players on the team continue to develop, with high expectations for Anfernee Simons after he’s shown so much promise during his time in Portland thus far.
Unfortunately for Simons, the 24-year-old has suffered a setback after only one game this season.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Simons will have surgery on his right thumb and will miss as much as a month-and-a-half, which obviously is devastating news for the Blazers.
Trail Blazers say Anfernee Simons will undergo surgery for a UCL tear in right thumb and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2023
Simons had a decent game to start the 2023-24 campaign, as he finished with 18 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals in the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
With Simons on the mend for the next month or so, head coach Chauncey Billups will already have to shake things up regarding the starting lineup and could look to either up-and-comer Shaedon Sharpe or veteran newcomer Malcolm Brogdon to shoulder the load.
Sharpe had an impressive year last season and may get the opportunity to showcase his skills early this time around if he gets the nod to be the starter moving forward.
In the loss to the Clippers, Sharpe finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists off the bench.
As for Brogdon, he led the way for the Blazers in the scoring department with a team-high 20 points off the bench to go along with five assists and two rebounds.
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