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LAS VEGAS -- The Philadelphia 76ers have had a busy offseason as President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey has been aggressive in terms of being able to build a roster around the team's stars.
Gansey and the front office were active in free agency with the additions of Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Ariel Hukporti before pulling the trigger on the big Jaylen Brown acquisition. The free agent additions won't get the fanfare that the Brown trade has received, but all of those additions will help.
Specifically, Simons will give coach Nick Nurse a reliable ball-handler and scorer off the bench that he can turn to and take some pressure off Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in terms of the workload.
"I mean, I think it's really important for us both him and (Labaron) Philon," said Nurse. "I think both of them are handlers that can play some pick-and-roll and score the ball. Both of them are super athletes. Like, to me, if you've got that athleticism, which both of them do, you can impact defensively too, right? So, again, I think just shifts. It seems like we got a lot faster, a lot more athletic. Yeah, there's some other issues. We might be a touch small at times and things like whatever, but I certainly take the speed and athleticism. Then it's just up to our staff to get these guys put them in the right spot."
To Nurse's point, the Sixers have certainly gotten smaller. Maxey is 6-foot-2, Philon is 6-foot-3, Edgecombe is 6-foot-4, and Simons is 6-foot-3. There will be times when Philadelphia will struggle both defensively and on the glass, but Nurse is excited about the potential of this group. Simons, especially, brings a big scoring ability off the bench that will give the Sixers a different look than in the past.
"I really like Anfernee a lot," Nurse finished. "Obviously, can score the ball. He shoots it easy, deep, shoots it off the bounce. I think he's a heck of a talent. I think that was kind of tucked away up there on a bad team for a—I mean, he really like he gives you. You go into play him, it's like my goodness, this guy can get by and vault up and score. So, really excited about that."
Simons averaged 14.3 points and shot 38.5% from deep in 55 games in the 2025-26 season split between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. To Nurse's point, he is going to give Philadelphia a big scoring aspect that will make life easier for others.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Nick Nurse reacts to free agency addition of Anfernee Simons
Continue reading...
Gansey and the front office were active in free agency with the additions of Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Ariel Hukporti before pulling the trigger on the big Jaylen Brown acquisition. The free agent additions won't get the fanfare that the Brown trade has received, but all of those additions will help.
Specifically, Simons will give coach Nick Nurse a reliable ball-handler and scorer off the bench that he can turn to and take some pressure off Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in terms of the workload.
"I mean, I think it's really important for us both him and (Labaron) Philon," said Nurse. "I think both of them are handlers that can play some pick-and-roll and score the ball. Both of them are super athletes. Like, to me, if you've got that athleticism, which both of them do, you can impact defensively too, right? So, again, I think just shifts. It seems like we got a lot faster, a lot more athletic. Yeah, there's some other issues. We might be a touch small at times and things like whatever, but I certainly take the speed and athleticism. Then it's just up to our staff to get these guys put them in the right spot."
To Nurse's point, the Sixers have certainly gotten smaller. Maxey is 6-foot-2, Philon is 6-foot-3, Edgecombe is 6-foot-4, and Simons is 6-foot-3. There will be times when Philadelphia will struggle both defensively and on the glass, but Nurse is excited about the potential of this group. Simons, especially, brings a big scoring ability off the bench that will give the Sixers a different look than in the past.
"I really like Anfernee a lot," Nurse finished. "Obviously, can score the ball. He shoots it easy, deep, shoots it off the bounce. I think he's a heck of a talent. I think that was kind of tucked away up there on a bad team for a—I mean, he really like he gives you. You go into play him, it's like my goodness, this guy can get by and vault up and score. So, really excited about that."
Simons averaged 14.3 points and shot 38.5% from deep in 55 games in the 2025-26 season split between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. To Nurse's point, he is going to give Philadelphia a big scoring aspect that will make life easier for others.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Nick Nurse reacts to free agency addition of Anfernee Simons
Continue reading...
