$Signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Hornets in July of 2024.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Simpson spent the three years of his college career with Colorado. He endured a slow start in the program, starting just once as a freshman while logging only 21.3 minutes and averaging 7.4 points per game. Things took a dramatic turn for the better in 2022-23. He started in all but one of his 29 appearances as a sophomore and experienced a statistical uptick in the five major categories, most notably going from 7.4 to 15.9 points per game in 12 months. Simpson was even better in his junior year in 2023-24. He started in each of the team's 37 games and boosted his scoring numbers to a robust 19.7 points per game, the second-best mark in the Pac-12. Simpson also averaged 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while being named to the 2023-24 All-Pac-12 First Team and the All-Pac-12 Tournament Team. He was also named a 2021-22 Pac-12 All-Freshman and a 2022-23 All-Pac-12 Second Team member. There are two ways to analyze Simpson. He's a player who can impact the game on offense with his passing and scoring, but he's not as advanced on the defensive end. Simpson has developed into a legit NBA prospect during his three seasons at Colorado. His ability to lead the offense, his above-average decision-making, and his solid skill set as a scorer make him a real threat on the offensive end since he's capable of performing as a three-level scorer with efficiency. However, at 6-feet and with a slender build, Simpson will be physically disadvantaged at the NBA level against bigger and stronger players. Even though his basketball instincts and quick hands will prevent him from being a liability on that end of the floor, Simpson doesn't project to be a lockdown defender. His lateral quickness is also a plus and should help him mask some of the deficiencies he'll endure on defense, but there's no question his real value lies on the offensive side of the ball. Simpson is projected to be a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but don't be surprised if he ends up outplaying his draft position a few years into his career. While his role at the next level will be determined by how much he progresses at the beginning of his career, he figures to project as a solid reserve who can lead the second unit and knock down perimeter shots while not being a liability on the defensive end.
Struggles offensively in loss
GCharlotte Hornets
April 14, 2025
Simpson closed with two points (1-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt), five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 32 minutes during Sunday's 93-86 loss to the Celtics.
ANALYSIS Simpson failed to make an impact on the offensive end of the floor in the Hornets' regular-season finale Sunday, scoring two points while missing five of the six shots he attempted. The rookie guard's year ends, averaging 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, shooting 34.6 percent from the floor and 25.4 percent from beyond the arc.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2024
Stat Review
How does KJ Simpson compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
43.7%
Effective Field Goal %
40.0%
3-Point Attempt Rate
43.2%
Free Throw Rate
16.6%
Offensive Rebound %
4.8%
Defensive Rebound %
9.0%
Total Rebound %
6.9%
Assist %
19.8%
Steal %
1.8%
Block %
0.7%
Turnover %
11.4%
Usage %
19.1%
Fantasy Points Per Game
17.9
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.8
Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Hornets Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when KJ Simpson was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Sorare
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More Fantasy News
Ejected from game Tuesday
GCharlotte Hornets
April 8, 2025
Simpson was assessed with a Flagrant-2 foul and ejected from Tuesday's game versus the Grizzlies with 1:10 remaining in the second quarter after clipping Jaylen Wells mid-air, Sam Perley of the Hornets' official site reports.
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Season-best outing in defeat
GCharlotte Hornets
April 6, 2025
Simpson contributed 18 points (7-13 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, seven assists and two steals across 32 minutes during Sunday's 131-117 loss to the Bulls.
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Decent stat line in loss
GCharlotte Hornets
April 5, 2025
Simpson provided 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt), one rebound, four assists and one steal across 33 minutes during Friday's 125-102 loss to the Kings.
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Across-the-board production
GCharlotte Hornets
March 31, 2025
Simpson totaled 10 points (4-13 FG, 2-8 3Pt), eight rebounds, six assists, one block and two steals in 32 minutes during Monday's 110-106 victory over Utah.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
ANALYSIS Even though the Hornets might listen to offers for Simpson, they're not expected to entertain them seriously. According to Boone, Simpson is more of a long-term core piece on the Hornets roster due to his age and upside compared to Vasilije Micic. Simpson is averaging 14.5 minutes per game in eight contests off the bench as a rookie in 2024-25.