Arizona Basketball: Kobi Simmons logs solid NBA Rookie year

Kobi Simmons chose a difficult path to the NBA after his freshman year at Arizona and the gamble paid off as he made an impact on a depleted Memphis Grizzly team as a Two-Way Rookie.

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The comments from Wildcats fans on Arizona Basketball freshman Kobi Simmons leaving early for the 2017 NBA Draft were less than complimentary. Some were downright mean. But they weren’t looking at his situation as if they were playing in his shoes. In hindsight, Simmons made a great decision. He avoided all the drama from this past season, and instead of competing with college students, he competed against NBA Players.

Simmons was the first undrafted Memphis Grizzly ever who signed a Two-Way Contract with the franchise. Simmons earned a starting job in 12 of 32 NBA games he appeared in. He scored in double-digits in seven games with a career-high 20 points beating Stanley Johnson’s Detroit Pistons on April 8th shooting 4/7 from 3-point range adding seven assists.

Simmons averaged 20.1 minutes per game and totaled 643 minutes of NBA playing time. And some of you said he would never play in the NBA? Well, you were wrong. The Memphis franchise spent the end of their season developing their young squad.

Simmons claim to fame this season was that he was perfect from the charity stripe as he did not miss any of his free-throws in the NBA making all 25. He also excited fans with his dunking abilities, here is a mix tape to highlight his season. He shows no fear, all confidence, raw talent, and upside.

He did better in the G-League, averaging 15.1 points in 30.9 minutes per game with a career-high 31 points (including six threes) against Matt Brase, and Joseph Bilas’s Rio Grande Vipers. He also had a solid game against the Grand Rapids scoring 21 points and dishing eight dimes.

In one game he shot 63% from the field and made all seven free-throws.

Simmons also played with fellow former Wildcat Chance Comanche who had a great G-League rookie season as well. He said he enjoyed the Memphis Hustle arena, felt it was the best in the G-League. The Hustle plays their home games at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi. Simmons also spoke about his experience playing with the Memphis organization:

"I think the young guys throughout the season we had, through the ups and downs, we always went out there and we fought. We competed every night. It’s just (about) knowing that with everybody coming back, when young guys get a chance to get on the floor, we’re going to give everything we have. Me just being young, coming out and learning every day, trying to put all the pieces together. I’m hungry. I definitely learned a lot going back and forth (between the Hustle and Grizzlies)."

Memphis fans are digging Simmons:

https://twitter.com/DTaylorClay/status/944050731992211461

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Whatever the case, Simmons got a huge jump on the rest of the college players coming out to test the draft this season, there are over 200 players. Memphis fans enjoy Simmons, and we are very proud of him, he actually averaged more points in the NBA G-League this season than he did playing for the Arizona Wildcats. We can only hope he succeeds in professional basketball. Once a Wildcat always a Wildcat, bear down Kobi!