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2019 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Jonathon Simmons

By Philip Rossman-Reich

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Jonathon Simmons #17 of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball during the NBA game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on March 10, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers defeated the Magic 113-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Jonathon Simmons #17 of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball during the NBA game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on March 10, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers defeated the Magic 113-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
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Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) defends against Orlando Magic forward Jonathon Simmons (17) in the first quarter on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. (Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee/TNS via Getty Images)
Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) defends against Orlando Magic forward Jonathon Simmons (17) in the first quarter on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. (Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee/TNS via Getty Images) /

Jonathon Simmons had a career year after the Orlando Magic surprisingly picked him up. The question now is can he do it again in a likely reduced role.

Jonathon Simmons has always had something to prove.

That is the story that defines his entire career. He was constantly overlooked and looked passed. He was someone who was doubted and cast aside. Simmons was someone not meant to make the league.

He fought his way onto a team and into a rotation. When it came time for him to get paid, he found the offers were not quite there. And so he took another flyer on a team willing to invest in him and invest in himself.

Simmons’ first year with the Orlando Magic was a successful one. He averaged career highs across the board with 13.9 points per game and a 51.1 percent effective field goal percentage in 29.4 minutes per game. Per-36 minutes, Simmons scored a career-high 17.1 points.

This was the case of a player getting a larger role and still increasing his efficiency and production. He proved he was capable of doing all those things and that he belonged in the NBA in a rotation with a larger role.

The only thing that was missing from his season was the finish.

Simmons admitted he could feel fatigue setting in as the season went on. He showed very little signs of slowing down as he was still able to put on some big performances. But going from 1,392 minutes to 2,029 minutes was still a big step up.

And Simmons proved more than capable of getting there.

Yet, it seems entering the 2019 season Simmons still has a lot to prove. His defensive reputation never really shined through on the Magic’s mismatched roster. A late-season wrist injury had him in a cast for at least the start of the offseason. And Simmons just felt like an afterthought on the roster — not someone who was challenging for a starter’s spot or anything more than a sixth man role.

In fact, the going analysis for Simmons was that Orlando needed to find a way to use him as the sixth man more instead of relying on him too much as a starter. It feels like another hurdle for Simmons to climb over.

Nothing has stopped him before.