Overview

• Simons led Boston with 21 points in 25 minutes during a 138-107 preseason win over the Cavaliers, making all six of his field goals from beyond the arc.
• Through two preseason outings he is shooting 48% from the field and 50% on threes, following an 18-point performance in his Celtics debut in Toronto.
• Joe Mazzulla started Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser and Chris Boucher on Sunday, signaling Simons will likely open the season as a reserve and positioning him for potential Sixth Man consideration if the scoring holds.
• Mazzulla emphasized that Simons must meet Boston’s standards by boxing out, defending and playing with consistent physicality to be a complete contributor.
• Simons said TD Garden feels like a great shooting gym and noted he is re-acclimating to coming off the bench using lessons from early in his career, with one preseason game remaining Wednesday against the Raptors.