Second Round Sleeper: KJ Simpson

Is the third Colorado product of this year's draft heading to Charlotte?

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

With the second round of the draft itching closer, let's take a look at one last possible prospect in Charlotte's range. After discussing two wings and two big men, it’s only right to finally take a look at a guard.

I’ve decided to go with KJ Simpson, a 21-year-old three-level-scorer who was a four-star ESPN recruit in 2021. Declining an offer from Arizona, he took his talents to Colorado, where he saw a good number of minutes early on, despite only starting once as a freshman.

That changed in his sophomore year, as Simpson was inserted into the starting lineup and improved on most aspects of his game. In his final year, the combo guard led the Buffaloes in points and assists per game, while playing alongside first-round picks Tristan da Silva and Cody Williams.

KJ Simpson – Age 21.87 – PG/SG – Colorado - Height 6'1.5'' - Wingspan 6'4.5'' - Weight 187lbs

Strengths

KJ Simpson’s selling point is his offense. In addition to some solid self-creation, he can read the floor and moves well off-ball. Even though he is at a physical disadvantage most of the time, he has shown a nice touch around the rim. As previously mentioned, he struggled with his three ball in his first two years at Colorado, before hitting 43.3% as a Junior on significantly higher volume. This and a free-throw percentage of 87.6% indicate that the improvement is more than just a stroke of luck.

Simpson’s feel for the game shows not only in his passing but also helps him on the defensive end of the floor. He can read plays and jump into passing lanes from time to time, which is encouraging as his on-ball defense will never be a strong suit.

Weaknesses

At 6'1.5'', equipped with a short wingspan, Simpson is an easy target for opposing scorers. He was no pushover in college and managed to make up for his build with a lot of effort, but at the NBA level, he will always be a guy opposing teams look to get in one-on-one situations.

Simpson has done as much as possible in the last twelve months to destroy any doubts that existed about his outside game, but one good year is not enough to win everybody over. The two seasons beforehand saw him shoot 25.4% and 27.6%, so understandably there are still some concerns. Simpson might also encounter problems when going at the rim in the NBA, as he is neither exceptionally fast nor outstandingly strong.

Fit With the Charlotte Hornets

Some question marks come along with KJ Simpson. Can he maintain his percentage from deep? Can he at the very least be a slightly sub-par individual defender? Will he be able to finish in close when going up against bigger bodies? Those are a lot of variables, but his time at Colorado has seen him constantly get better and improve. Charlotte's guard room looks pretty stacked for now, but it could be worth taking a flyer on someone who might turn out to be a helpful spark plug.