PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers first-round pick Anfernee Simons said his mental toughness on the basketball court is a credit to his father.
Simons, addressing the Portland media during a Monday press conference, said his father, who coached him from a young age, never took it easy on him. The tough-love coaching, though effective, wasn't always easy for him to deal with as a young child.
After the Blazers selected Simons with the 24th overall pick Thursday, Simons shared an emotional moment with his mother. When he was asked what was going through his mind at that time, he said he was thinking about all the hard work he put in on his way to the NBA, but also about how much he cried through it all.
"All the crying and stuff. Put a lot of crying in," he said. "Thinking back on that, I got real emotional."
The Blazers rookie said his dad is "definitely" the biggest influence on him when it comes to basketball, but at a young age, he said he struggled to deal with criticism from his father on the basketball court.
"My dad was real tough on me," he said. "It was kind of tough for me at the beginning. Since like 5 years old, he's been tough on me. Tough love. Telling me what I'm doing wrong all the time. Kind of critiquing me all the time. So that made me tougher, mentally. But when I was 5 years old, I couldn't take that, so I was crying a lot."
Simons said his father will move out to Portland and live with him during his rookie season.
"We'll get real close," he said, laughing.
Simons, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, did not play in college last season. Instead, he played at IMG Academy in Florida last season after graduating from high school. He initially committed to play at Louisville but de-committed when the program was at the center of an FBI corruption scandal. Simons, who turned 19 on June 8, averaged 22.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and was a 45 percent three-point shooter at IMG Academy.
The Blazers rookie believes IMG Academy's regimented schedule gave him an advantage in preparing for the rigors of the NBA.
"Being on your own, (you learn to) take responsibility for yourself," he said. "Every day you get up and do the thing you have to do to get better. When I come [to the NBA], it's not going to be as hard of an adjustment to come in and work."
Simons will play his first game in a Portland uniform when summer league tips off on July 7. He said he's excited to get on the court.
"It's been awhile since I played five-on-five," Simons said. "So I can't wait to do that."
Portland also traded for the rights to second-round draft pick Gary Trent Jr., but he wasn't at Monday's press conference, presumably because his contract is still being negotiated.
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