Celtics Face CRUCIAL Decision on Simons' Playing Time | Will CHEMISTRY Issues ARISE?

Summary

Locked On Celtics — September 16, 2025

Episode: “Celtics Face CRUCIAL Decision on Simons' Playing Time | Will CHEMISTRY Issues ARISE?”

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Episode Overview

Host John Karalis, joined by guest Tom Westerholm, delivers a deep-dive analysis of the Anthony Simons situation in Boston. Simons, recently acquired in a trade, unexpectedly remains on the Celtics roster as the new season approaches, igniting debate: Should he start or come off the bench? Karalis and Westerholm break down the basketball, chemistry, and narrative angles, explore lineup implications, and set expectations for Simons’ future and the team’s evolving hierarchy.

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Main Theme

The central question: What should the Celtics do with Anthony Simons? With his uncertain role and unique skillset, the hosts debate whether Simons should start, come off the bench, or serve in a hybrid/staggered capacity—and what those decisions mean for the team’s chemistry, performance, and long-term plans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Awkwardness of Simons’ Situation ([03:36]–[07:00])

• No introduction, no certainty: Simons hadn’t been introduced via a Celtics press conference, highlighting his “tenuous” status and raising questions about whether he was intended to stay.
  • “They didn’t do an introductory press conference. They waited, because no one knew if he was going to be a part of this team… Right away, it’s awkward.” — John Karalis [03:36]
• New opportunity: Despite the odd context, Simons enters an enviable situation—on a playoff-caliber roster, no longer the focal point of defenses, and with a chance to redefine his NBA role.
  • “He really is in kind of an enviable situation… he’s going to have a lot of opportunities to prove himself.” — Tom Westerholm [04:36]

2. Simons’ Value and Mindset: Offense, Scouting Reports, and Professionalism ([07:00]–[11:30])

• Uniqueness as an offensive fulcrum: Simons is the only Celtic who’s been the lead focus of every opposing defense all season—his Portland experience is unlike those of Brown or Tatum.
  • “Of all the players on this roster, he’s the only one that’s been at the top of the opposing team’s scout for an entire season.” — John Karalis [07:00]
• Adjustment to new reality: Freed from top defender attention in Boston, Simons should enjoy “more space to work with.”
• Will he accept a non-star role? With his contract year looming, there’s risk he’ll “default” to seeking his own shot to boost value. The hosts, however, see this as logical—not selfish.
  • “If Anthony Simons’ default is… ‘I’m just gonna go get a bucket here’, that’s not a bad thing. That’s as good an option as you’ve got.” — Tom Westerholm [09:01]
• Professional maturity: Simons has incentive to prove himself a winning, efficient player—not just a volume scorer—boosting both team performance and his next contract.
  • “If he can show people, ‘Hey, I can produce numbers on a winning team and contribute to winning,’ that money is a heck of a lot different…” — Tom Westerholm [10:00]

3. The Decision: Should Simons Start? ([13:48]–[22:12])

Arguments FOR Simons as a Starter

• Offensive firepower and flexibility: Putting Simons on the floor with Derrick White and Jalen Brown relieves pressure, offers more options if Brown is doubled, and helps “get off to better starts.”
  • “Having more guys on the floor right away that can get buckets can help you get off to better starts. I like that it takes pressure off of Jalen Brown.” — John Karalis [14:00]
• Elite pick-and-roll, deep shooting: Simons brings above-average pick-and-roll play and “off-the-bounce” three-point shooting—skills that synergize with Boston’s system.
  • “He’s really good. Like, he’s good in the pick and roll. He’s a really good three point shooter, like, off the bounce. That really matters.” — Tom Westerholm [15:37]

Defensive Concerns

• Track record of poor defense: Seven years as a below-average defender can be hard to overcome; the staff (Missoula, Brown, White, Pritchard) sets high standards.
  • “Seven years is a long time to build up those bad habits… after a while, that becomes your default setting.” — John Karalis [18:02]
• Potential for improvement: With better role models and motivation, there’s optimism Simons can make strides defensively, but he’ll need to show tangible growth—fast.
  • “You could make the argument that you put Simons in that situation and he’s like, oh damn, I gotta keep up… If they harp on him, then great.” — John Karalis [19:31]

Who Needs to Be Better?

• Defensive comparison: Would he need to be at least better than “Darius Garland level” to justify starting? Karalis: “You can make the argument he starts as is right now” [22:00], but defensive improvement could make it a no-brainer.

4. The Alternative: Simons as a Bench Weapon ([22:47]–[34:22])

Arguments FOR Simons Off the Bench

• Honoring incumbents: Peyton Pritchard might have earned the starter role; continuity could matter for chemistry.
• Optimizing usage: As a sixth man, Simons can “cook” as the primary option against bench units—he thrived in this mode in Portland.
  • “If anybody can handle that situation, let’s give it to the guy who’s handled that situation already.” — John Karalis [27:15]
• Shot allocation: Coming off the bench and staggering his minutes grants Simons the highest likelihood to maintain his shot average (16–18 per game).
  • “Would that be the way… hey, this is how you get to 17, 18 shots by middle of the second quarter, middle of the fourth quarter, whatever… you get to just go out there and do your thing.” — John Karalis [31:09]

Counterarguments

• Talent may be too high for a bench role: Westerholm questions whether it’s wise to bench such an offensive weapon, suggesting optimal staggered rotations instead.
  • “I think he’s just a little too good to come off the bench… If it were me, I’d rather kind of stagger things down the line.” — Tom Westerholm [28:00]

Staggering and Rotational Nuance

• It’s not all about ‘starter/bench’ labels: The real key: how rotations are constructed and pairing Simons with (or staggered from) Brown and White for optimal scoring balance.
  • “What it really comes down to is just the respect of starting kind of thing… [but] this is also how you set your rotations.” — John Karalis [32:06]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He knows what’s happening, he understands that the team didn’t get him to keep him… It’s awkward.” — Karalis [04:00]
• “For a guy who is on a team that he wasn’t sure if he was going to be on when he was traded, he really is in kind of an enviable situation… he’s gonna have plenty of opportunities.” — Westerholm [04:36]
• “If Anthony Simons’ default is … ‘I’m just gonna go get a bucket here’, that’s not a bad thing.” — Westerholm [09:01]
• “Your two best, like, most dynamic scorers… subbing them in for one another, there’s sense to that somehow.” — Karalis [32:49]
• [Lighthearted:] “Tom Westerholm? Oh, is he not here?” … “Psych. It’s a bad beat for any of you who bet against me.” — Karalis & Westerholm [25:38]
• “I came on to advocate for the man. I mean, yeah, I’m ready.” — Westerholm [23:03]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Simons’ Awkward Arrival and Opportunity — [03:36]–[07:00]
• What Simons Adds / Role Debate Begins — [07:00]–[11:30]
• Should Simons Start? (Pros & Cons) — [13:48]–[22:47]
• Argument for the Bench Role — [22:47]–[31:27]
• Rotation, Pairings, and Real-World Impact — [31:27]–[34:22]

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Tone & Style

• Engaged, slightly irreverent, knowledgeable, and candid.
• Both hosts mix basketball nerdiness with relatable analogies and a touch of humor, making for accessible but in-depth analysis.
• “Let’s see it” spirit: both insist on Simons proving his fit before making any grand proclamations.

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Conclusion

Simons’ role looms as one of the “crucial decisions” for the Celtics as camp opens. With strong arguments for both starting and bench roles, Karalis and Westerholm emphasize that nothing is set—it all comes down to Simons’ willingness to adapt, his defense, and how the coaching staff constructs rotations. Ultimately, whatever the label, playing time and usage are up for grabs, making this preseason one of intrigue in Boston.

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Listener Takeaway:
Whether you’re bullish or skeptical on Simons, this episode highlights why the incoming guard sits at the intersection of roster politics, on-court strategy, and locker-room chemistry—making his integration one of the most intriguing Celtics subplots for 2025.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Podcast Network your team every day.

[C]

This episode is brought to you by Home Chef. It's summertime, but instead of relaxing, are you stuck in a meal planning rut? Cycling through the same old dinners while juggling work, family and summer activities? Home Chef can break up the monotony and free up your time with fresh, easy to follow meal kits or offering healthy and exciting dishes delivered right to your doorstep, giving you more sunshine and less stress. And for a limited time, Home Chef is offering our listeners 50% off and free shipping on your first box, plus free dessert for life. Go to homechef.com LockedOn that's home chef.com LockedOn must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert.

[A]

This is Tyler Rowland from the Locked on Titans podcast. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card.

[B]

I love how simple it is to.

[A]

Pay using Apple Card with Apple Pay. It's built right into my iPhone so it's always ready to go.

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[B]

Anthony Simons looks like he's sticking around for a little while. So what does that mean? Should he start? Should he come off the bench? We'll talk about it right now on the Lockdown Celtics podcast, huh?

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Be down, be ever ready. It's the seas. Who else could it be? What they going to say now screaming like J.T. corralis recap the madness Every game, every practice, prime time Depp and D. White on the side sideline. Rennie Chase how we started raising banners. How we finish Locked on Celtics pot. Home of the winners, baby. Hey there. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast network. It's your team every day. Your team is the Boston Celtics and I cover them Monday through Friday on this podcast. I'm John Corrales, beat writer covering it for Boston Sports Journal. For a couple books on this team, I yeah, just have been doing this job for like about 20 years, so hope you enjoy it. It's Monday through Friday. It's free. It's available Everywhere. It's on YouTube. Get into the comment section. Share your thoughts there. Today's show is brought to you by FanDuel. New customers, you bet $5 and if your bet wins. You get 300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the app today. So Anthony Simons, we've kind of been, like, avoiding him because I didn't think he was going to be available on or be a Celtic on opening night. But actually, we're. We're at a point here where he might. He might be. It's looking like he's going to be a member of the Boston Celtics, and so why not talk about him as if he's a member of the Boston Celtics? So we're going to do it with noted Anthony Simons aficionado Tom Westerholm. What's going on, Tom?

[A]

I can't stop winning.

[B]

You win.

[A]

I won one. But this is a nice. You know, I won one here, Tom.

[B]

I. I've heard that you win, win, win, no matter what.

[A]

Yeah, that's just objectively not true. I can't. I can't even play along. However, I am glad that Anthony Simons is going to be on the roster. I think it's good, actually.

[B]

So we'll make the argument for starting and for coming off the bench, because we don't know what he's gonna do at this point. So second segment with the argument for starting the third segment off the bench. Let's just begin this podcast with this awkward situation that Simons is in. They didn't do an introductory press conference. They waited because no one knew if he was going to be a part of this team. He didn't know if he was going to be a part of this team. And now media day is going to come in two weeks, and the questions he's going to start getting is, hey, wow, no one thought you were going to be here, and yet here you are. How funny is that? And so it's going to be interesting to see, first of all, Tom, how he just kind of, like, rolls with those punches and. And how he kind of like. Just because he know. He knows what's happening, he understands that the team didn't get him to keep him. So it. Right away, it's awkward.

[A]

Yeah, it. It is for sure. I think, you know, it's. It's funny, right? Because I think that with Simons, there's this. There's this opportunity here to. To. To really open some eyes, to really do something on this Celtics team. I. I mean, he's. He really has. For a guy who is on a team that he wasn't sure if he was going to be on when he was traded, he really is in kind of an enviable situation. I Mean, he has, he's going to have a lot of opportunities. He's gonna have plenty of opportunities to prove himself. Plenty of, you know, he's gonna, he's, you know, I think you and I both probably think he's going to be playing not for a great team, but like a low level playoff team. Right. Like, I think, I mean, that's, and that's assuming that obviously that he sticks around all year, but he could be a winning, you know, contributing to winning kind of player.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

With the right performance this year, that's not a bad situation to be in. When you, when you get traded during the off season, you could be traded to much, much worse situations than that. And yet there is still. You're 100, right? I mean, there's, there's going to be, I mean, the introductory press conference thing I think really stands out. Like, it's like that's, you know, that, that really says a lot about how tenuous his connection to this franchise was. And, you know, it'll be interesting to see how tenuous he still feels it to be because, like, you know, again, it's an opportunity, but it's not a team that was exactly clamoring for you.

[B]

That's right. And I think, I think Brad will come out and say, look, we got him. We, obviously we're doing our, our, you know, due diligence and we're trying to accomplish certain things. But you, you don't trade for a player that you wouldn't want on your team. I feel like that would be a line that comes out of Brad Steven's mouth. You never trade for a player that you wouldn't want on your team. And I think that's going to be where they roll with Simon's, you know, at least to start. There's a little bit of damage control that's going to be going on here. They're going to need to make him feel wanted. They're going to need to make him feel like he's part of this, this plan moving forward and who knows? You just never know. Right. We can come in and say this was the plan and it very obviously was the plan to continue exploring trades, but maybe they hit on something. It's not out of the question to say.

[A]

No, it's not.

[B]

They hit on something with trading for Anthony Simons. He's the, he's an unrestricted free agent after the season. So that does kind of like make things a little weird with, you know, what are they going to want to pay him? But we'll have that discussion another time. Right now, they have a player that is a really good offensive player, you know, and it's awkward, but if you can get past that, you have yourself a really good player. Tom, Anthony Simons is, if you like, think about it, of all the players on this roster, he's the only one that's been at the top of the opposing team's scout for an entire season, right? Because Jalen has had Jason ahead of him. Guys have had other, you know, everybody's had players ahead of him on the opposing team's defensive scout, except for Anthony Simons. He has been the focal point of every team's defense. When you play the Blazers, it's like, all right, shut down Simons and you get yourself a chance to win. So you're getting a guy that's used to having a lot of defensive attention, and I think the first thing that he's going to appreciate when he comes to Boston is I, I don't have that same defensive attention on me. No matter, no matter what lineup, start or come off the bench, he's gonna have, he's gonna have a, I think a little bit more space to work with, which I think, I think can help him get past the awkwardness pretty quickly. Tom, I guess this question, this is the question here, with all of that said, knowing that the Celtics didn't trade him for the sake of, like, hey, we wanted you. Is he going to go, like, on his own? Look, look, I'm just going to do my thing when, when the tiebreaker needs to be broken, I'm shooting rather than passing. Like, is that going to be something that we're going to face with him this year?

[A]

I mean, one way or the other, if the tiebreaker is that, like, okay, he's an awesome shooter, he's an awesome offensive player. He's a three level scorer. He's. He's everything that you could want in an offensive player. I, I mean, I, I think, like, if, if Anthony Simons is like, default is like, all right, hang on, I'm just gonna go get a bucket here. Like, that's not a bad thing. That's as good an option as you've got. You know, that's one of the best options you've got on this team. Like, I, I don't know that. I, I don't know that I see the, the downside there. I, I think this is a fair point. You know, I, I mean, I, I think that there's, I think that there's been a lot of tempering of expectations With Simons because everybody thought that he was gone, right? Everybody thought that he was going to get trade. Everybody thought that he was, you know, kind of a dead man walking on this roster. But like, listen, I mean, your point, like if, If Brad said. If Brad literally said word for word what you just said, right, where you don't trade for somebody that you don't want on your roster, that would be valid. Anthony Simons is good. And like, I don't know. I mean, I, I think, I do think that he is. I mean, he's enough of a per. He's been in the league for a little while now. I think that he will probably be enough of a professional to understand how important this year is for him. Right. So I think that that's, I think that's one thing. I think if he can show people, hey, I can produce numbers on a winning team and contribute to winning. That money is a heck of a lot different than I'm a volume, microwave score. Right? Volume, microwave score gets you money, gets you a job. But like I'm a. I'm a, like big time volume, you know, efficient scorer who also helps teams win. Those guys get money. Money. And like, yeah, I mean, I, if I'm him, like, that's, that's worth swallowing my pride a little bit. And playing for a team that was like, hey, we might want to trade you. It's not like the Celtics did anything egregious, you know, like the Celtics brought Anthony Simons in and said like, listen, we're not a contending team this year, so we don't know if we're going to keep you. You're a good player. You know, I mean, there's such an easy spin, right? It's just like, we think you're a really good player. We, we just aren't really. We weren't sure if we were going to be trying to win this year. We weren't sure what was going on. You just tell Simons that and it's like, I don't know. To me that seems reasonable. And you know, again, and then I think you're just. Just comes down to the fact that you've got a good player on your roster and you get to try to see how that works.

[B]

However this goes, the Celtics will have a really good offensive player on their roster.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Now I say offensive player. Is his defense going to get where it needs to be for him to be all of those things to get that money, money that you said which would, I think, play into whether he is a starter whether he comes off the bench or whether he's a finisher, you know, you could be one or the other and not a finisher. So let's explore all of that. We'll make the argument for starting when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by five hour energy caffeine just got a flavor upgrade. Five hour energy shots deliver tasty caffeine in 17 bold flavors. Each two ounce shot, just two ounces packs the caffeine of a premium 12 ounce cup of coffee. Plus you get things that you don't get in the coffee like B vitamins and nutrients with zero sugar and zero crashes. I like these five hour energy shots because like I've said before, as a person who travels and who often travels on little sleep, I'm going to need these little boosts to get me, you know, off a plane, off to someplace where I'm working, talking to somebody and being coherent. So these little shots are great. It gives me that energy that I need and without the crash, it's very huge. So I can try to get some sleep when I'm done. So forget the boring flavorless caffeine. It's time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5 hour energy shots. Get the favorites you love or be bold and try something new in store and online at 5hour energy.com. that's the number 5ourenergy.com or on Amazon today.

[C]

This episode is brought to you by Home Chef. It's summertime, but instead of relaxing, are you stuck in a meal planning rut, cycling through the same old dinners while juggling work, family and summer activities? Home Chef can break up the monotony and free up your time with fresh, easy to follow meal kits offering healthy and exciting dishes delivered right to your doorstep, giving you more sunshine and less stress. And for a limited time, Home Chef is offering our listeners 50% off and free shipping on your first box, plus free dessert for life. Go to home chef.com locked on. That's home chef.com locked on. Must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert.

[B]

Thanks for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Go check out Lockdown NBA locked on NBA Game night. Two shows on the same feed. You just got to subscribe to one. You get me and Jake Madison on Fridays right now talking about the biggest stories in the NBA on both shows. But when the season starts, Game Night is going to live up to its name and we're going to cover every game that night in the association. So subscribe wherever you get Your podcast. All right, let's get back to the Anthony Simons discussion. Make the argument for him as a starter. And look, I don't know. I have my feelings on who should start who. Who knows how it's going to go. Who knows if it's going to last all season. Who knows if it's going to be consistent or inconsistent or based on matchups. I don't know that the Celtics know, but you can make a strong argument for Anthony Simons as a starter. I think I'm not going to rehash my argument for having the point guard of either Derek White or Peyton Pritchard on the floor at all times. I think those are your two best point guards, and that helps you stagger. Jalen and Derek. I think having Simons on the floor, obviously you, you know, having more guys on the floor right away that can get buckets can help you get off to better starts. I like that it takes pressure off of Jalen Brown. And if you're going to throw double teams at Jaylen Brown, how awesome would it be to play four on three? And Anthony Simons is one of those options. So I think Simons as a starter makes a whole lot of sense.

[A]

I really, I mean, I, I know you. You brought me on to be the, the resident, you know, and free Simons guy. So, I mean, I kind of have to think that he should be a starter.

[B]

Oh, you don't have to. You don't have to. Whatever's best, Tom.

[A]

You're a free thr, and I do. So it's, you know, it works out great for everybody involved. I, I think. I, I think that Celtics fans might be underrating Simons a little bit. I think a little bit on both ends, maybe. I, I think that we've kind of forgotten maybe. What? Like, he's really good. Like, he's good in the pick and roll. He's good. He's a really good three point shooter, like, off the bounce. That's. That really matters. Like, yeah, there's, there's like, he. You can see very much that, like, he was following in the footsteps of Dame, and I'm not saying that he is Damian Lillard, but, like, he built his game in really similar ways, you know, like, he's, I think, you know, he's a kind of an underrated passer out of the pick and roll. He's. He gets to the rim. He's got these kind of, you know, he's got a couple of kind of crafty finishes that he, that, that he can pull Off, Like, I just. I think he's just a really good player offensively. And then, you know, defensively, there's going to be issues. I think that that's not, you know, that. But I also, to some extent, I'm curious if they're going to be. If they've been a little bit overstated. We'll see.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But he has. But he's got good size. I. I don't. You know, when I watched the. The Blazers, which admittedly were not, you know, my number one league pass team by any stretch of the imagination, but, like, you know, it's not like, you know, it's not just pure awful, right? It's. Yeah, it's a guy who. There's. He's not sitting there doing nothing. He's not just only trying on one end. And I think, like, you know, you surround him with the right pieces. I think defensively, like, you've got a guy with plenty of size for his position. I don't think that there's a huge issue there. So I don't know. I. I do think that the defense is going to be a little bit of a struggle, but the defense is going to be, you know, what it is on the Celtics team, either way, they're going to have to outscore a lot of teams, and Anthony Simons will really help you outscore teams. So I'm with you on, like, taking pressure off Jalen. I think that's really good. I. I like the idea of having Derrick White, Jalen Brown, Anthony Simons on the floor together. I mean, offensively, I just think there's. There's so much good stuff going on there. You know, we talked about, you know, earlier in the summer about how, like, you know, if teams take away Jalen, then what? And it's like, well, you know, what? If the answer is okay, then Anthony Simons and Derrick White.

[B]

Yeah, that's good enough. That will score you points. That will score you plenty of points. The defense is interesting, right? So you have, on the one hand, a track record of seven years in the NBA of not being a good defender. It's a long time. And it's a long time. Even. Even if he can sit there. If you were on the podcast, he'd be like, yeah, but, you know, I can be better. Yeah, Seven years is a long time to build up those bad habits, no question. You know what I mean? So all of those times where you kind of quit and you kind of die on a screen or you just are not paying attention and you get back cut all of those things. Okay, fine, you know, early on I can buy it, but after a while, you just, that becomes your default setting. And I'm not saying that he can't get away from that, but I do, I do need to see it before I kind of take his word for it. You can give him all the benefit of the doubt in the world. Right. You know, his, his first, you know, his first exposure to the NBA. He's playing with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. He's not exactly playing with the defensive stalwarts out there, so he's not getting that message. And then, then the, the Blazers kind of suck and there's not a lot of motivation out there. And so. Okay, the, the kid's 25. 20. How was he? 26?

[A]

26.

[B]

Yep. Yeah, so he's, yeah, he just turned 26 in June, so he's still young. He's just entering his prime. You can, you can make, certainly give him plenty benefit of the doubt, but he definitely, definitely, definitely needs to show it quickly. He needs to prove us wrong quickly or else that default setting is going to be kind of where he's, he's constantly fighting from. And that's, that's just, look, that's the reality. And Joe Missoula knows, he knows defense. Even though he's got the three point reputation, he knows defense. He handled the defense under Eme Udoka. You've got Jalen Brown, you get Derek White. You've got all defense level guys. You've got guys that know you got guys like Peyton Pritchard who overcome a lot of that stuff with effort. So you could make the argument that you put Simons in that situation and he's like, oh, damn, I got to keep up. I got to keep up with Pritchard. I got to keep up with these guys. And if they harp on him, then great. So I. Show me, show me, just show me. But starting him, putting him out there and taking some of the shackles off because he's not the primary, you know, scout anymore, you have to worry about Jalen, you have to worry about Derek. Like to have Simons as a second or third option, that's. That is incredible. There's no doubt about it. That's incredible. And if his defense can match or, or improve some level of, you know, double digit percentage, then you have yourself a hell of a player and you more likely than not would want to put him in a familiar situation, put Peyton Pritchard in a familiar situation and let everybody cook the way they Know how to cook, do you?

[A]

Who. Who does he need to be better than defensively for you to be like, that guy should be a starter. Like, if he's better than, like, so, like, Darius Garland is like the floor, right? That's like the. The worst.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Defender.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. I mean, look, if he's better defensively.

[A]

Than Darius Garland, do you think he's a starter?

[B]

Well, yeah. Okay, sure. Like, yeah, okay. Yeah, that's fine if we want to look at it that way.

[A]

I'm just curious.

[B]

Yeah, no, I mean, look, he. We can make the argument that he should be a starter without being better than Darius Garland. We can make. We can make the argument he's a starter as is right now with no defensive improvement.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

I'm just saying that it would be great to see because if we see that, then there's. To me, there's no doubt.

[A]

There's no doubt.

[B]

To me, there's no doubt that you start him if that's the case. And, and at that point, you have to talk about, like, do you extend him? Do you like, sign him? Does he stick around you? How do you reshape your roster with him in the mix? So there's. If he can be any good defensively, then that. That whether he should start becomes one of many questions that. That come up with him.

[A]

For sure.

[B]

There is an argument for him coming off the bench.

[A]

I don't want to hear it.

[B]

I think. I think you do.

[A]

I think.

[B]

I think you do. Yeah. You're gonna have to participate. Or you can just leave. You can just leave and be like, hey, see ya. Appreciate you. You do what you had to do.

[A]

I came on to advocate for the man. I mean, yeah, I'm ready.

[B]

All right. Should. Should Anthony Simons. What's the argument for him coming off the bench? And will Tom Westerholm return to the podcast? Who find out after this big mystery? I'm gonna bet. I'm gonna open up my FanDuel app and see if there's line and odds on Tom Wesserholm coming back. Obviously, NFL season is here. FanDuel is making sure you're ready for kickoff with a can't miss offer. Just bet five bucks. If your bet wins, you get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. No one cares what the bet is. You're just gonna bet five bucks on something and. And win. So make it the easiest bet in the world. Win your five bucks, win your $5 bet, and get your $300 in bonus bets to use across the app and Then when Sunday rolls around, you want to bet on player props. You want to build the same game parlay. You have a little extra bonus bet money lying around there. So it's super easy. The app is quick, easy to use. You get paid out real quick so you can have a little extra fun on Sundays. When you sign up, this is an offer for new customers. When you sign up, there will be a screen that asks you to set your limit, set your budget. Please do so. Gamble responsibly. Only bet. Only bet where you're able to lose what you can afford to lose. Once that's gone, you just come back when you get paid again if you want, and then join back in the fun. It's called gambling responsibly. If you're ready to play, download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com to get started. That's FanDuel.com to place your first five dollar bet.

[C]

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[B]

Thank you for making Locked on Celtics your first listen. Every day we got podcasts for every sport out there. Well, not every sport out there. I don't know if we got Locked on cricket, but hey, baseball, football, hockey, college, whatever your favorite other team is in another sport. Check it out. Locked on has you covered Tom Westerholm? Oh, is he not here?

[A]

Psych. It's a bad beat for any of you who bet against me.

[B]

All right, the argument for Anthony Simons coming off the bench, I think, I think it's simple. Well, okay, twofold. I think you would have to believe that Peyton Pritchard having been here, has earned it. And you just have to be like, look, man, we're just, we're going with him and that's it. And so Pritchard, Derek Wings, as the Internet would say. What was that?

[A]

Count the rings.

[B]

Exactly. Exactly. So Pritchard and. And Derrick White. So Derek White would move off the Ball Jalen Brown and your center, I'm gonna just assume it's Nami Ashkeda at this point. And then you're power forward, you go Chris Boucher, you go Sam Houser. However they decide to do it, they do it. And you can just believe in that and say the guys who have been here have earned it. And so we're going with that. And then that brings Simons off the bench and he just gets the cook as the primary guy. And I think that's one of the, the best argument that you can have is he's the guy that, because he's used to playing on a team that's kind of like eh. And being the focal point and handling all everything right. He's been double teamed, he's been like everything against a bad Blazers team and he still put up these incredible offensive numbers. Well, the Celtics in the lineups, if he's coming off the bench with him as the primary guy will be kind of Portlandish. And so he's used to it, he knows it, he gets it and he's cooked, he's cooked very well in those lineups. There is I think a strong argument to be like hey, if anybody can handle that situation, let's give it to the guy who's handled that situation already.

[A]

Okay. So I think that's, honestly, I think that's a strong argument. I, I hear you. I, I think that like my, my only counter to it is just, it's, it's, it's really simple. I just think he's a little too good. Like I think he's just a little too good to, and we're making the argument for coming off the bench now. I, I, but I guess my, my response to that is like yeah, fair enough. Like all of that. I think that like and I also think there's a lot to be said for you know, starting the game strong and then still having like being able to bring something in. I mean, you know, it like Peyton Pritchard is a good player but you don't bring him in as like off the bench to be like an ISO scoring kind of guy. If you're, you know, if you're staggering your go to scorers a little bit. That's not a, you know, that's not a bad way of doing it. Right. Start one of them, have the other one come off the bench. You know, sometimes they play together and they play off each other. Yeah, they finish together like you were saying at the start. I mean I think all of that is, is definitely valid. I think for me it's just, it just literally comes down to like, I think Simons is pretty good. Like, I think he's just a little too good to come off the bench. If I were, if it were me, I'd rather kind of stagger things down the line, you know, like, like, okay, maybe Simons comes off at the eight minute mark and then, you know, Jalen comes off at the, you know, two minute. Whatever it is, you know, however that you do it, I personally would, would go that direction. Just even on the off chance, right. That Simons does perform so much this year that you want to keep him happy, you want to make him feel like he's part of, of a Boston team going forward. Yeah, I mean, like that possibility exists too. Anyway. Yeah, go ahead.

[B]

No, so I agree with you. And okay, what, what would make him happy? I guess this is another part of the argument of starting or sitting or, or, or coming off the bench. What would make him happy? What gets him more touches and more shots?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, we don't know what would make him more happy because he's never been introduced to the media, so who knows?

[B]

Fair enough. But, but what gets him more shots like he's gonna get. What has he averaged? I have his stats up here. He has averaged 12. Okay, well last season, 16 shots. Before that, 18, before that, 17. So let's just say 17ish shots per game that he's averaged, which is. Okay, fair. I think that's, you know, maybe, maybe he's not going to get 20. Maybe he shouldn't expect 20. Last season Jalen got 17, so almost 18. Jason got 20. So you know, that's being in that Jason or Jalen range. Like, okay, so Jalen will pump up to 20.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What gets Anthony Simon 17 shots, is it going to be playing next to Derrick White? Do you want Derrick White to be taking more shots? I do. So isn't it possible that him coming off the bench is the best way for him to get the shots that he wants to get a five minute stretch where, like I said at the top of the show, the tiebreaker between pass and shoot, he's going to be like, nah man, I'm shooting. Well, if you're on the floor with, I mean, Luca Garza is a decent offensive player, but like, if you're on the floor with some of the scraps of the Celtics have put together, no disrespect intended, but, but plenty came across.

[A]

But none was intended.

[B]

But like, wouldn't, would that be the way to be like, hey, this is how you get to 17, 18 shots by middle of the second quarter, middle of the, you know, beginning of the fourth quarter, whatever. You get to just go out there and do your thing.

[A]

Yeah, I mean that. So I think there's a lot of validity to that. I. I also think, again, I. I think you could. You could still accomplish very much the same thing. Like. Like, you know, by staggering him out of the starting lineup. You know, by. By having him in the starting lineup, stagger him shortly, you know, have him be the first sub out so that he can come in. You know, I mean, you know, I. I mean, at some point, we're really kind of. I, I think that we're. I think that we're kind of falling into the thing. You know, Joe Missoula would probably yell at us for focusing so much on starting versus coming off the bench. Right. Because, like, what. What it really comes down to is just the respect of starting kind of thing.

[B]

My counterpoint to that is, okay, I get it, there's validity to it, but my counterpoint is this is also how you set your rotations. So him coming off the bench and him starting changes who's on the floor with whom at what time. And so there is some validity to figuring out who starts and who comes off the bench. And it's not even just who has earned it and who has the. Like that. That existential stuff. It's more like, how do you want to play the beginning of the second quarter? Do you want Jalen Brown to start the second quarter? Do you want Anthony Simons to start the second quarter? Do you want. What pairings do you want? Do you want Simons and Derrick White? Do you want Jaylen Brown and Derrick White?

[A]

How.

[B]

Those things are the important part of figuring, figuring out, like, how you want to play certain situations and so how you start and having guys available. And it may be a simple. Like you just mentioned starting Simons. Maybe he's the first sub out and you bring in and you stagger, and then he subs in for Jalen. And now you have you, honestly, your two best, like, most dynamic scorers, right? Because, yeah, as much as I love Derrick White and think he's a great basketball player, Simons is just a pure scorer at heart. And so him and Jalen are your two best scorers. So subbing them in for one another, there's. There's. There's sense to that somehow. So however they do it, start them, bring them off the bench, I can see them saying, this is how we want to run our rotations.

[A]

I think it'll be kind of interesting to see, like, okay, does, like, could the Celtics, you know, last season, the way that they subbed Jalen and Jason, right. Having, you know, like, you know, a lot of times having, you know, Tatum play like, you know, a huge chunk of the first quarter, whatever it might be, it would be interesting to see if, like, if they kind of like move Jalen up to Jason's role or. And have Simons kind of play some, you know, like you were saying, right. Some of those, like, you know, those play against some of those second units or if that's something that Jalen kind of likes to do. Because, like, Jalen, you know, did really well against second units a lot of the time last year. It'd be interesting to see how, I don't know, it'll be interesting to see how they, how they shuffle those guys up.

[B]

But I think, I think there's a strong argument to be made for either side. Yeah, start him, bring him off the bench. I think either way, you can make a strong argument. And I think, I think there's, there's validity to both. There's. It'll. It'll work to some degree. So I don't know. So we'll see people, you know, share your thoughts in the comment section and let us know. Tom, thank you for hopping on. I do appreciate you, as always, and I do appreciate you listening, watching however you're listening, being in every day or joining me every Monday through Friday. Camp is opening up very soon, so we are now moving away from our off season type of content and we're starting to get into the deeper looks at this team. What can we expect? What should we expect? Who are these guys? And there will be a lot more Anthony Simons talk because we, we didn't talk about him all summer because we didn't think he was going to be here. And the Celtics were a little complicit in that because they didn't, they didn't introduce him. They didn't do any of that stuff. They made it seem like he wasn't going to be here either. And. Okay, so he's here. What does that all mean? This, this show is one of, I'm sure, many that we will do all off, all preseason. So make sure you're subscribed, wherever you get your podcast. We've been breaking everything down. Watch the show on YouTube. Like I said, get into the comments section, share your thoughts on whether Simon should start or come off the bench for however long he's here? Is it this year? Is it half a year? Is it multiple years? Who knows? What should he do? What should the Celtics do? And then once you do that, I would love it if you shared the podcast. Tell everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It's your team every day. Our state has changed a lot in the last 140 years. We know because Multicare has been here.

[A]

Guided by a single purpose.

[B]

Making our communities healthier. That comes from making courageous decisions, partnering with local communities to grow programs and services, and expanding healthcare access to those who need it most. Together, we're building a healthier future.

[A]

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[B]

Is Fire TV's College Football Kickoff. I'm Drake Toll alongside North Carolina and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jesse Hobbs and the hall of Famer Gary Patterson. We're previewing the biggest matchups in college football with unmatched insight. And I know a little something something that's exactly right, coach. Every Thursday right here on Fire tv.