Defensive juggernaut Simon sets sights on slowing down Breakers

When Justin Simon returned to the NBL with the Sydney Kings, swathes of fans expected him to reclaim his Defensive Player of the Year crown from Antonius Cleveland.

By season’s end though, Simon wasn’t even among the top three nominees for the award.

Cleveland ended up going back-to-back – and deservedly too.

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The rangy 36ers guard has proven time and time again to be well entrenched in that upper echelon of one-on-one defenders in the competition.

But as loud as the praise was for Cleveland, the cacophony of voices that felt Simon was undervalued over his ladder-topping season with the reigning champions was just as noisy.

Simon – who has won Defensive Player of the Year honours in Australia with Illawarra, Riesen Ludwigsburg and America with St Johns – says the final standings of the award hasn’t phased him at all.

“I thought they were some really great candidates,” Simon told SEN of Cleveland and fellow nominees Dererk Pardon and Shea Ili.

“This league is full of a lot of talented guys, and those guys who were up there deserved it.

“I’ve won Defensive Player of the Year on three different continents, so I think when people speak my name the first thing that comes to mind is defence, and I don’t need another trophy to define that.

“It would have been nice to add to my collection, but all in all I’m trying to hoist the NBL championship trophy.

"That’s the one I really want.”

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Simon’s full arsenal of defensive weapons was on display in the do-or-die third game of the Playoff Series against Cairns.

Someone had to be tasked with stopping the dangerous DJ Hogg, and it was Simon who took on the big job.

Hogg – who was elected into the All-NBL Second Team for his exploits this season – had absolutely torched the Kings en route to a game two win for the Taipans.

He finished that game with a game-high 25 points on 50 per cent shooting.

In the crucial third game though, Simon and the Kings restricted him to just nine points on 37 per cent shooting.

“When he gets the ball he’s able to playmake, he can shoot over defenders, so we wanted to take the ball out of his hands and make somebody else beat us," the St. Johns alum said.

“Just completely get the ball out of his hands.

“They’re a talented group with Tahj McCall, they’ve have a bunch of different guys like Waardenburg step up – but we really just wanted to take the ball out of DJ Hogg’s hands.”

That Playoff series is in the rear view mirror now though, and the Kings have a serious challenge on their hands to take down a resurgent Breakers side.

With a FIBA break set to play out between now and the first game of the Championship Series, Simon says he’s keen to get underway.

“It’s going to be a really tough series,” he said.

“It’s two great teams and I like to think we’re both heavy on our principles and how we play.

“I’m really anxious to get started.”

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