A year ago, KJ Simpson had a chip on his shoulder the size of one of the Flatirons.
Last summer, coming off a sophomore season that began promisingly but ended in a slump spurred by injury and illness, Simpson was a basketball player isolated and frustrated. It was during those workouts last summer, alone in his high school gym, when Simpson made a vow.
He’d prove he belonged not only among the Pac-12’s best, but among the top pro prospects of 2024 as well.
Simpson went out and did just that, putting together one of the top individual seasons in the history of the Colorado men’s basketball program. Simpson carried that momentum into the draft combine and his team workouts, putting the former Buffaloes guard in position to hear his name called when the two-round, two-day NBA draft begins on Wednesday night (6 p.m. MT, ESPN).
Simpson played his way into draft consideration thanks to his monster season. Prior to traveling to New York for the draft, Simpson took a few days to visit his Southern California home, even driving past his family’s old house.
“We drove by and I was taking it all in,” Simpson said. “It was during the time that I really started to take basketball serious, like middle school to the freshman year of high school, it really sunk in at that moment. The thing I worked my life for — I literally dedicated everything, all my decisions was based off of it — I’m just a couple days away from it. It doesn’t even seem real.
“I’m imagining myself in that room as a middle schooler going ‘Oh my gosh, I had a bad game,’ and just being worried about all that stuff. It was a full-circle moment. Honestly, my emotions are just excited. I trust the work that I’ve put in. The feedback that I’ve gotten from teams is great. I’m just grateful to be here. I’m like a kid in a candy store.”
The Buffs likely will have three players selected, with Cody Williams and Tristan da Silva expected to be called during the first round. While Williams was pegged as a possible lottery pick upon his arrival as a true freshman this past season, Simpson and da Silva have followed a path similar to those set by a few former Buffs picked in the NBA draft during head coach Tad Boyle’s 14 seasons at CU.
Neither da Silva nor Simpson were considered consensus possible NBA draft picks at the outset of the season. The same can be said for Boyle-era Buffs ultimately picked in the draft like Derrick White, George King and Jabari Walker.
“KJ’s another guy that went to the combine, and when he played he played his way up. He didn’t play his way down,” Boyle said. “He’s got a lot of traction. To have three bona fide draft picks … it’s not like we’re hoping they’re going to be drafted. They’re all three of them going to be drafted. It’s just a matter of when and where.”
Simpson set team records for minutes (1,298) and free throw percentage (.876), while ranking third among CU’s all-time season leaders in points (728) and third in assists (181). Simpson was just one point and one assist away from tying for second in both categories. He ended his CU career on a tear in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 20.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists as the Buffs posted wins against Boise State and Florida before losing against Marquette.
Simpson left CU on the heels of a showcase postseason performance in the first-round win against Florida, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in an effort punctuated by the winning baseline jumper in the waning seconds.
Yet it was CU’s comeback win in double-overtime at USC on Feb. 17, a victory that sparked a season-changing eight-game winning streak, that Simpson says truly opened his eyes to how much he had improved over the previous year. Playing in front of dozens of family members and friends near his home turf, Simpson scored 17 of his 30 points over the final 7 minutes, 52 seconds of regulation and the overtime sessions as the Buffs rallied from a 16-point deficit. Simpson also delivered an assist to Luke O’Brien for an open dunk with 3.7 seconds left in regulation that sent the game into overtime.
“That USC game set in stone for me that, you know what? I am an NBA player. I am ready,” Simpson said. “From that point on, my game just rose and I continued to finish the season out strong. It was difficult. I love CU. I’ll miss the team. I’ll miss the coaching staff. I’ll miss the football games. But it wasn’t something rushed. Even talking with coach Boyle, we all knew it was just time.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.