Kobi

Simmons

Brown could still return to Monday’s game, but if he doesn’t, Jordan Nwora and Kobi Simmons, who recently signed a 10-day contract with the team, should fill out his minutes off the bench.

Not selected in the 2017 NBA Draft, Simmons has spent the majority of his professional career in the NBA G League. The Hornets converted his contract from a two-way to a standard deal in early April, but it was not guaranteed for the 2023-24 season. With this move, Charlotte is down to 15 contracts for the 2023-24 season with two (Frank Ntilikina and JT Thor) not being guaranteed.

Simmons has played a grand total of 18 NBA minutes this season, but Charlotte saw enough to keep him around past Sunday. He may see minutes over their final two games, but he won’t impact fantasy hoops next season.

Simmons last appeared in an NBA game during the 2018-19 season, when he played one game for the Cavaliers. As a rookie the season prior, he played in 32 games for Memphis, averaging 6.1 points and 2.1 assists per game. Simmons most recently played for Charlotte’s G League affiliate in Greensboro, averaging 18.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.5 3-pointers in 31.8 minutes per game. With LaMelo Ball (ankle) done for the season and Terry Rozier (foot) and Dennis Smith Jr. (toe) dealing with injuries, Simmons gives the Hornets additional depth on the perimeter.

Simmons earned a spot with the club at camp, but he won’t be relevant while the team is healthy.

Safe to assume this is a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, as Simmons will be given a chance to compete for a backup PG spot. He played 35 games in the G League last season, averaging 17.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds.

Simmons was signed and eventually waived by the Cavs this summer and has spent this season playing in the G-League. He’s averaging 17.0 points per game with 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 3-pointers with the Canton Charge this season. Cameron Payne previously held the 10-day spot that Simmons will be stepping into and surprisingly had some fantasy value, so it’s possible that Simmons. Keep an eye on him for now.

Earlier in the summer, Simmons looked like he could’ve pushed for a rotation spot with the Grizzlies, but things have been trending down since with two of the weakest teams at guard letting him go. He has talent to score, but he has to add more to his game.

Simmons was a top-25 high school recruit, but didn’t live up to expectations during his freshman season at Arizona. In 23.5 minutes per game, he averaged 8.7 points, 2.0 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.9 triples on 39.5 percent shooting. He’s an impressive athlete, but he’s also a defensive liability and inefficient scorer who will likely spend a lot of time developing the G-League over the next couple years.

The details of the deal are not known yet, but there’s a chance that it’s only partially guaranteed. An undrafted free agent, Simmons was a top-25 high school recruit, but flopped in his lone season at Arizona with averages of 8.7 points, 2.0 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.9 triples on 39.5 percent shooting. Expect the Grizzlies to mold his game in the G-League.