Anfernee Simons
SG · 2018 NBA Draft, 1st round, pick #24 (POR)
Why he was overlooked Patterns
Nothing in our pre-draft data flagged him as a steal: his age, school, testing and position profile looked like a typical pick in his range. The gap opened after the draft, on the field.
- Pre-draft rankings
ESPN's pre-draft board ranked him #34 (#10 at his position); he went #24, 10 spots earlier. So teams were actually higher on him than the media board was; everyone underrated him.
Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 33.8% of the time (272 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.
- Age
19.0 years old on draft night (born 1999-06-08).
Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 51.7% of the time (300 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.
- Position
SG (ESPN draft listing).
Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 48.9% of the time (499 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.
- Availability
Played 451 games over 9 NBA seasons (~61% of a full 82-game schedule each year).
Every line comes from data: Basketball-Reference career data; ESPN's draft profile; Wikidata birth dates. No scouting reports or quotes. Green = pointed toward a steal for him.
Career numberslive
| Seasons | 9 |
| Games | 451 |
| Minutes / game | 26.5 |
| Points / game | 14.9 |
| Rebounds / game | 2.5 |
| Assists / game | 3.1 |
| Win Shares (career) | 15.8 |
| VORP | 2.7 |
| Box Plus/Minus | -1.1 |
| 2026-27 so far | 4 GP, 6 PPG (ESPN) |
Career Win Shares + VORP (Basketball-Reference, through 2025-26) + 2026-27 estimates from ESPN season stats.
The 2018 class: draft pick vs. redraft rank Full redraft
Each dot is a 2018 pick. Dashed line = typical redraft rank for each slot (2000–2021 classes). Above the line = beat his slot.
How players like him did
| Pre-draft rankings Taken 10+ picks before ESPN's rank | 33.8% n=272 | |
| Age Under 20 | 51.7% n=300 | |
| Position Guard | 48.9% n=499 |
Share of 2000–2021 picks with the same trait who beat their draft slot. Line = 50%.
Measurables & pre-draft
| Height / weight | 6' 3", 183 lbs |
| Age on draft night | 19.0 |
| Born | 1999-06-08 |
| ESPN pre-draft rank | #34 overall (#10 SG) |
Picked around him 2018 redraft
| 21 | Grayson Allen | redraft #14 |
| 22 | Chandler Hutchison | redraft #41 |
| 23 | Aaron Holiday | redraft #29 |
| 25 | Moritz Wagner | redraft #20 |
| 26 | Landry Shamet | redraft #26 |
| 27 | Robert Williams | redraft #11 |
How verdicts and reasons are computed: methodology. Steal / bust = 15+ spots better / worse than the typical redraft rank for the slot.