[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2024 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

KJ Simpson
Frame: 6’2”, 189 lbs
Position: Guard
Team: Colorado Buffaloes
2024 Draft Age: 21
Stats via www.sports-reference.com, www.barttorvik.com and www.espn.com

Offense

Simpson is a jittery point guard and quick decision-maker who likes to push the pace to generate easy baskets for himself and his teammates. He is a three-level scorer, using speed and the threat of his jumper to get to the rim. Simpson has a nice touch and can finish with floaters and crafty layups. He is a drastically improved three-point shooter from last year (up from 27 percent to 43 percent on 4.9 attempts). His true-shooting percentage has jumped 10 points (50 percent to 60 percent), and his free-throw percentage has gone from 81.7 percent to 87.6 percent, per www.barttorvik.com. The advanced numbers speak highly about him as he led his conference in win shares (7.2) and box plus/minus (10.1), respectively.

Simpson is comfortable stopping on a dime and rising from the mid-range to hit tough contested shots in the game’s most significant moments, as he did in the First round of the NCAA Tournament against Florida. Playing alongside Cody Williams and Tristan da Silva (both projected to be drafted in the first round), Simpson is comfortable playing off the ball.

He keeps the ball on a string and is proficient in shooting off the dribble and the catch. Sometimes, Simpson can be too trigger-happy and fall in love with the mid-range instead of attacking or kicking out to shooters. He is a good athlete but not an elite one and is sometimes bothered by length and athleticism.

Simpson always has his head up and looks to get easy baskets by pushing the pace and dishing out hit-ahead passes. He is an excellent entry and pocket passer with a knack for feeding the dunker spot off dribble penetration. Simpson balances when to hunt for his shots while keeping everyone involved. He has increased his assists to 4.9 while reducing his turnovers to 2.2 (down from 2.6 with more minutes played.) Simpson sometimes gets overzealous with his passes and tries to fit them into tough windows, causing turnovers. His fast pace sometimes works to his disadvantage by dishing out risky hit-ahead or rushed passes. Simpson is an instinctive cutter and off-ball mover who is very savvy at coming off pin-downs and screens to free himself up to score or create.

Defense

Simpson is an active defender who can move his feet and reliably stay in front of his man. He has quick hands and can be disruptive in passing lanes (1.6 steals per game) and slithering through screens. Simpson has a nose for the ball and is fearless in crashing the glass amongst bigger interior players (5.8 rebounds a game). He is a solid off-ball defender aware of rotations but may sometimes lose focus off the ball and lose his man in switches or back-door cuts.

Simpson earned honorable mention honors for the PAC-12 first-team all-defense team and held many of the top point guards in the PAC-12 to inefficient shooting nights. He can be overpowered with his smaller frame or moved off his spot by bigger opponents. Simpson is very competitive on the defensive side and is not afraid to get chippy. He projects to be an adequate defender at the next level but will have to improve his discipline since he may get targeted initially.

Looking Ahead

Simpson will have to prove that his shot was not an aberration this year compared to his first two years, but his touch from the line and near the rim are good indicators that the improvement is real. He must compensate for his lack of size and slender build at the next level. The first-team All-PAC-12 product is the son of an ex-pro (Kenneth Simpson Sr.) and is the all-time leading scorer of Chaminade High School, producing multiple NBA players that speak to his pedigree.

He can bring energy to a team as a change-of-pace guard off the bench who can handle, shoot and create. Simpson has improved his shooting and efficiency every year in college and projects to be a second-rounder in the NBA.