KJ Simpson’s undersized, not undermotivated

COLORADO ATHLETICS

K.J. Simpson led Colorado in scoring at nearly 20 points per game in his final season with the Buffaloes. He was taken 42nd overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA draft.

What K.J. Simpson lacks in height, he makes up for in motor and determination.

The Charlotte Hornets’ second-round draft pick stands 6-2 but can hang with the best of players in college basketball. In his junior year at Colorado, Simpson averaged 19.7 points per game and shot 43% from three-point range. He also was third on the team in total rebounding and dished out just under five assists per game.

Despite his stature, Simpson feels he can come in and make an impact immediately.

“I’ve been this size for quite some time and look where it’s gotten me,” he said. “Keep on doubting me. Keep talking about whatever you want because people have doubted me before. I’m going to go out there and I’m going to prove [myself] and show people the same thing I did this past year [in college].”

Simpson can get downhill as well as shoot the ball, contrary to his freshman and sophomore seasons. In his first two campaigns at Colorado, Simpson shot 25% and 27% and struggled to find his rhythm.

“I went through something so, so difficult my sophomore year,” Simpson said. “It may not be as difficult to some people, but to me it was a real mental battle. I knew I could make that [shooting] jump and make that type of leap. But sophomore year I just kept getting hit after hit. I hurt my ankle, then got food poisoning. I played with mono for weeks without knowing it. It was frustrating.”

When it would have been easy to give up, Simpson pushed through and found a way to get better.

“That summer [going into junior year] I wasn’t really able to work out with anybody, so I locked myself in my high school gym,” he said. “Either my dad, my mom, my girlfriend, my high school coach or my high school strength coach rebounded for me if it wasn’t the shooting machine. I just did every drill that I knew shooting-wise. I felt like I needed to gain as much from this past year as possible. So, going into my junior year I just mentally matured and that really helped me excel.”

Simpson said he was overcome with emotion when he heard his name called. It was a day he dreamed about and for it to become a reality was surreal.

“This is something you dream about when you’re a kid,” he said. “Everyone saw my raw emotions [on TV] when it happened. That is just who I am, and I still feel the same way [now]. I feel on top of the world. But I also can’t wait to get ready and work and get ready to grind with this team and this unbelievable opportunity.”

Simpson plans on playing with a chip on his shoulder. Nothing was given and everything was earned. He wants to showcase that and prove why he belongs in the NBA.

“[People] will always have negative things to say about me,” he said. “So, my path was definitely not the easiest. Me and my family, we’ve been through a lot. Just the fact that I am at this level and at this stage, it makes me more appreciative of these opportunities, because they don’t get handed to everybody. Out on the floor, I don’t care about looking the fanciest. I play because I love basketball and I play with a chip on my shoulder because of everything I’ve been through.”

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