Tag: KJ Simpson

Projected first-round pick Tristan da Silva declared for 2024 NBA draft

Da Silva was named to the All-Pac-12 second team after averaging a career-high 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals.

Colorado senior Tristan da Silva told Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he declared for the 2024 NBA draft ahead of the early entry deadline, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Da Silva was named to the All-Pac-12 second team after averaging a career-high 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals on 39.5% shooting from 3-point range. He registered nine 20-point games, including a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds on March 3.

The 6-foot-9 forward helped the Buffaloes advance to the round of 32 as a play-in team. He averaged 18 points, four rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals on 56.3% shooting from beyond the arc (9-of-16) in three games in the NCAA Tournament.

Da Silva, who was born in Germany, is projected to be a first-round pick, given his shotmaking, ability to drive and finish and move the ball. He is a good cutter and constantly moves on offense to find open space and has shown some promise as a defender.

Prospects with remaining college eligibility had until Saturday at 11:59 p.m. EDT to declare for the NBA draft. He joins teammates KJ Simpson and Cody Williams in declaring for the draft after consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Da Silva will have the opportunity to improve his draft positioning in team interviews and workouts over the predraft process. He could also be invited to compete in the G League Elite Camp or draft combine next month in Chicago, Illinois.

The 2024 NBA draft will take place June 26-27 in New York City.

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Where Colorado’s big three stand in ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft following March Madness run

KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva’s NBA draft stocks benefited from Colorado’s March Madness run

Although they fell short of upsetting Marquette, Colorado stars KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva and Cody Williams each impressed in their second-round NCAA men’s basketball tournament game on Sunday.

The Buffs’ big three combined for 49 points with a boatload of national eyeballs focused on the high-scoring March Madness matchup. In the aftermath, da Silva’s NBA draft stock improved, the freshman Williams Williams remains a projected lottery pick and Simpson may also test the draft waters this spring.

ESPN released an updated 2024 NBA mock draft on Monday (subscription required) and each of those three found a landing spot. Williams and da Silva were projected first-rounders — No. 9 (Utah Jazz) and No. 18 (Miami Heat), respectively — while Simspon went 39th overall to the New York Knicks.

In late November, ESPN projected da Silva as the 36th overall pick and had Williams at No. 12.

Simpson, who was arguably snubbed for Pac-12 Player of the Year, enjoyed the best season of his college career as Colorado’s starting point guard. The junior averaged career-highs in points (19.7 per game), assists (4.8) and rebounds (5.8).

As for Williams, some are arguing that he’d benefit from another year at the college level due to his injury issues. We should learn soon whether or not the former five-star prospect agrees.

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WATCH: Colorado star KJ Simpson beats first-half buzzer to tie Florida

KJ Simpson ended the first half in style

Especially compared to the Buffs’ First Four game against Boise State, Colorado and Florida played quite an exciting first half of basketball in Friday’s round of 64 NCAA Tournament matchup.

No player on either team hit the 10-point mark in the first half, but we saw plenty of offense as the two squads entered the break tied at 45. KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva led Colorado with nine points each while eight-point scorers Will Richard and Riley Kugel guided the Gators.

One of the more exciting moments of the game’s first 20 minutes came during Colorado’s final offensive possession. Simpson, set on taking the half’s final shot, created enough space to nail a mid-range jump shot just before the buzzer sounded.

With the help of Simpson’s clutch final bucket, Colorado shot 61% from the field in the first half. The Buffs also recorded an assist on 14 of their 17 buckets.

The winner of Colorado-Florida will face Marquette in the round of 32 on Sunday.

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CU Buffs’ KJ Simpson riding historic late-season scoring stretch

KJ Simpson is putting up some historic numbers late this season

KJ Simpson is playing like an All-American for the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team this season. But at this most crucial point of the year, the junior guard has somehow found a way to step it up a notch.

After CU lost to UCLA by four points in Simpson’s lowest-scoring total of the year, he has exploded for 85 points across the last three games. That total is the most by a Buffs player in a three-game span since Derrick White scored 87 points in the final three games of his collegiate career back in 2017.

With his team fighting for a March Madness berth, Simpson has done more than just score the ball across the last three games, too. In addition to averaging 28.3 points over the past three games, he has recorded 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals.

“Those are All-American numbers,” head coach Tad Boyle said following Colorado’s Wednesday evening win over Cal. “He’s bringing it every night.”

His most recent 27-point performance also put him up to 555 total points on the season, just 44 points shy of breaking the top 10 for most points scored in a season by a Buff.

Simpson looks to continue his hot streak on Sunday against the Stanford Cardinal. He and the Buffaloes need to win out the rest of the regular season for their best chance at securing an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.

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KJ Simpson reaches career milestone against Arizona

KJ Simpson reached an impressive career milestone

In the first half of Colorado men’s basketball’s Saturday night game against No. 8 Arizona, junior point guard KJ Simpson dished out his 300th career assist.

Simpson entered Saturday needing only one to reach 300, and he got it about three minutes into the game when he supplied an Eddie Lampkin Jr. layup.

The California native became the 14th Buff to reach 300 career assists. After passing Michel Morandais on the all-time list on Thursday, Simpson is now looking to pass Cory Higgins, who finished his stellar CU career with 320 dimes.

McKinley Wright IV and his program-leading 683 career assists likely won’t be passed anytime soon, however.

So far this season, Simpson is averaging a career-high 4.4 assists per contest and has dished out at least two in all 24 games. Considering how well Simpson is playing on both ends of the floor this year, he may test the NBA draft waters this spring.

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Bleacher Report projects three Buffs to go first-round in latest 2024 NBA mock draft

KJ Simpson’s NBA draft stock has surged over the past two months

In Bleacher Report’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft, Colorado men’s basketball standouts Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson were all projected to go in the first round.

Williams, the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, was the highest projected draft pick out of those three, going seventh overall to the Memphis Grizzlies. Da Silva landed No. 19 (New Orleans Pelicans) and Simpson went No. 20 to the New York Knicks.

While Williams and da Silva have been featured in plenty of other NBA mock drafts, Simpson’s draft stock is surging amid his junior season. CU’s point guard is averaging a career-high 19.1 points per game while shooting over 50% from the field and 47.2% from deep.

Here’s what Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman wrote on Simpson:

Athletic limitations and 6’2″ size may prevent KJ Simpson from passing the eye test. But the functionality of his handle has led to effective creation. His shotmaking has been consistent off the catch and dribble, and he’s used touch to compensate for no explosion. And he reads the game well at both ends, whether he’s processing quickly as a passer or anticipating defensively to average 1.9 steals per game.

I’ve never thought of Simpson as athletically limited, but Wasserman still thinks highly of his overall game.

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College Sports Wire names KJ Simpson as the Pac-12’s biggest ‘x-factor’

College Sports Wire believes KJ Simpson is the Pac-12’s biggest “x-factor”

The Colorado men’s basketball team has performed well, although the Buffs just got blown out by Arizona on Thursday and lost to Arizona State on Saturday. Albeit, they didn’t have Tristan da Silva against the Wildcats and Cody Williams missed both games.

One huge bright spot this season has been point guard KJ Simpson, who is dazzling for head coach Tad Boyle’s team.

College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton named one x-factor player for each Power 6 basketball conference and had Simpson as the Pac-12’s representative. Here’s what Patton wrote on Simpson:

Colorado is one of multiple teams competing for second place in the Pac-12 behind Arizona, and despite getting crushed by 47 points on Thursday they still might be the biggest competition for the Wildcats this year… For Colorado to stay afloat and not lose ground to teams like Oregon and Utah, they’ll need Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate Simpson to continue producing at an elite level.

The others listed are Dalton Knecht of Tennessee, Providence’s Garwey Dual, Zach Edey from Purdue, Elmarko Jackson from Kansas and Clemson’s PJ Hall.

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KJ Simpson making early case for All-American nod

KJ Simpson is playing his way into the All-American conversation

Colorado men’s basketball head coach Tad Boyle has raved about his starting point guard all season.

Following two stellar showings to start Pac-12 play, including a career-high 34 points against Washington State, KJ Simpson has continued to prove his head coach right as he has played himself into All-American conversations.

After Friday’s win over Washington, here’s what Boyle said when asked if his junior PG should be an All-American:

“I hope so,” Boyle said. “He’s having an All-American kind of year. Looking at the numbers, he’s the best point guard in the Pac-12. It’s not even close. It’s not even up for debate in my mind. I think he’s one of the best in the country and I’ve said that for the last two, three weeks now. (He’s a) top 10 point guard in the country without a doubt.”

In the Buffs’ 11-2 start to the season, Simpson is averaging career highs in points (21.1), rebounds (4.7), assists (4.5) and steals (2.1). He has also made strides in the two biggest areas he needed to improve after last season: shooting percentage and taking care of the ball. Simpson is the only player in the country who’s shooting at least 55% from the field, 45% from 3-point range and 85% from the free-throw line (minimum of five made shots per game). Additionally, he’s turning the ball over at a career-low rate (1.7 turnovers per game).

While the Buffs are still outside of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Top 25, they’ll have an opportunity to beat No. 10 Arizona on Thursday. Tipoff in Tucson is at 7:30 p.m. MT on ESPN.

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KJ Simpson follows up Jaylyn Sherrod with own career-high game in Colorado’s win over WSU

KJ Simpson set a new career-high in Colorado’s New Year’s Eve win over Washington

Colorado point guards Jaylyn Sherrod and KJ Simpson enjoyed quite the weekend.

About 24 hours after Sherrod scored a career-high 34 for the women, Simpson dropped that same total, also a career-best, in the men’s win over Washington State on Sunday.

Simpson, who was 10-of-18 from the field and 13-of-14 from the free-throw line, was Colorado’s primary offensive weapon again on Sunday with Cody Williams and Tristan da Silva still sidelined. Led by Simpson’s motor and a late 3-pointer from J’Vonne Hadley, the shorthanded Buffs capped off the 74-67 win on a 12-3 scoring run.

On the heels of beating Washington on Friday, Colorado is now 2-0 in Pac-12 play.

It’s still early, but Simpson is beginning to generate some All-American buzz.

Colorado could be ranked, too, ahead of Thursday’s matchup at No. 4 Arizona.

 

 

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KJ Simpson stays hot in CU Buffs’ final nonconference game

The most impressive player from Colorado’s nonconference season? KJ Simpson.

With Pac-12 play now on deck for Colorado, KJ Simpson is playing arguably the best basketball of his college career.

His field percentage has improved from just under 40% last season to 57.7% this year and even more important, the third-year point guard has found consistency within his game. Capped off by a 23-point performance in Colorado’s win over Utah Tech on Thursday, Simpson scored at least 12 points in each of the Buffs’ 11 nonconference games.

“It’s not just me, it’s my teammates. They allow me to get open shots,” Simpson said after the Buffs’ 98-71 blowout of the Trailblazers. “A lot of times today I was just spotting up and they just found me.”

Simpson’s 8-for-14 shooting performance, which included five made 3s, against Utah Tech also marked his third straight game with at least 20 points. He scored a season-high 30 earlier this month at Colorado State.

Additionally, Simpson is averaging career highs in assists (4.5) and rebounds (4.5) per game.

“He’s playing at a high, high level as a point guard and leader,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said of Simpson. “I thought he had a few forced turnovers tonight that he normally hasn’t had, but he had six assists. KJ is playing confident, he’s playing loose, but he’s not loose in the sense of he’s cavalier or careless with the ball. He’s got a lot of confidence, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in him. He’s becoming a guy we rely on every single night on both sides of the ball.”

If Simpson maintains his consistency well into March, he should continue to fly up NBA draft boards as well.

Colorado closed its nonconference slate at 9-2 and will now prepare for Washington on Dec. 29.

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