CHARLOTTE — Clemson forward Aamir Simms spoke with the media Tuesday at the ACC Operation Basketball in Charlotte.
Simms talked about his role as a leader for Clemson this year, especially now as a third-year starter. He says it is important to get them to buy into the Clemson GRIT.
Simms when asked about what parts of his game he is working on
“Expanding on my game has been big in my process. Playing in college exposes your weaknesses a lot more and you can get exposed in games. The only way to improve on that is to learn from your mistakes and know what you’re doing bad and critiquing yourself then applying it to court and at practice. For me it has been working on everything that I do bad and trying to improve on that aspect. Whether it is dribbling or shooting or finishing.”
Simms on improving his ball handling skills
“I really work on my dribbling and handling the ball. I usually start all my workouts doing that for at least 10-15 minutes. It is kind of hard once your arms get tired, but you just have to tap into that extra mental space and push through.”
Simms on improving as a shooter
“I really want to improve on shooting because when you get into the league more times than not you won’t be dribbling it every time. You just have to be ready to catch and shoot. I have been working on that as well as driving down to the paint, getting to the rim and taking the contact. Working on getting to my spots and being efficient.”
Simms when asked about his versatility playing forward and center.
“I can bring the ball down the floor, the point guard can, any player 1-5 can. For us and our offense anyone can bring the ball. I will probably have the ball in my hands a lot of the time. For me it is kind of a do it all kind of guy.”
Simms on his leadership role
“It is challenging when you’re with a lot of younger guys because now I’m the older guy on the team. I remember when I was a younger guy on the team and the older players looking at me saying ‘come on you have to do better.’ It is challenging because you have to approach each situation differently. For me it is about treating each guy with respect and remembering they are human just like me.”
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