Justin Simon

Justin Simon (born May 6, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for St. John's.

Justin Simon
No. 5 – Windy City Bulls
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1996-05-06) May 6, 1996
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2019 / Undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentWindy City Bulls
Career highlights and awards

High school career

Simon spent the first three years of his high school career at Temecula Valley High School in his hometown of Temecula, California. In his junior season, Simon averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, which earned him spots on the all-state underclass and the Division II all-state first teams, in addition to being named the Southwestern League MVP. He also received an invitation to the Men's U-18 National Team training camp.

Simon spent his senior season at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where he blossomed into a consensus top-40 national recruit in the class of 2015. In leading the team to a 34–1 record, the NEPSAC Class AAA title and the National Prep Championship, Simon averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.

Recruiting

Simon finished high school as a four-star recruit and the 37th ranked player in the class of 2015, according to ESPN.[1] Simon received over 20 Division I scholarship offers from the likes of Indiana, Kansas, and Louisville, but ended up selecting Arizona.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justin Simon
G		 Temecula, CA Brewster Academy (NH) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) May 6, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 87

College career

Arizona

In his freshman season at Arizona, Simon struggled to find playing time. Early in the season, Simon received an increased amount of minutes due to Allonzo Trier being injured, but his time on the court soon fell off as he failed to see the court in seven of the team's last 11 games. Simon did not start in a game all season and saw action in just 24 contests. In 7.5 minutes per game, Simon averaged 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

After the season, Simon announced his intention to transfer. He had interest from several programs, including Oklahoma State, Providence, and New Mexico, but ended up choosing St. John's.[2]

St. John's

Simon sat out the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Simon had a breakout sophomore season, tallying 20 double-digit scoring performances and nine double-doubles in 33 games, all of which he started. He averaged 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, and was the only player in the Big East to rank in the top five in rebounding, assists, and steals. Simon ranked eighth nationally in steals per game with 82.[3]

In his junior season, Simon's offensive production declined slightly but he developed into one of the nation's best defenders. In 34 games, 33 of which he started, Simon averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds all while leading the team in blocked shots with 22 and ranking third on the team in steals wth 50. After the season, Simon was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year.[4]

On April 9, 2019, Simon announced he was forgoing his senior season to declare for the 2019 NBA Draft.[5]

Statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Arizona 2407.5.500.333.4291.2.3.3.32.3
2017–18 St. John's 333336.1.473.417.6617.15.12.5.812.2
2018–19 St. John's 343332.9.462.289.6085.13.21.5.610.4
Career 916627.3.470.351.6204.83.11.5.68.9

Professional career

Simon was not selected in the draft, but was invited to play for the Chicago Bulls' Summer League team. In five games, he averaged 6.8 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes per game.[6] On September 12, 2019, Simon signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls and was added to the team's training camp roster.[7] On October 21, Simon was waived from the Bulls' roster and was subsequently assigned to the team's G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.[8] He averaged 12.8 points per game in the G-League.[9]

Personal life

Simon's father Ken played football at Fresno State and his mother Felicia played basketball and ran track at UC Irvine. Simon has two brothers and a sister.

References
  1. "Justin Simon". espn.com.
  2. Borzello, Jeff (April 21, 2016). "Justin Simon transferring to St. John's". ESPN. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. Brown, Broadway (July 24, 2018). "2018-19 Big East Men's Basketball Summer Check In: St. John's Red Storm". Anonymous Eagle. SBNation. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  4. Kussoy, Howie (March 11, 2019). "St. John's star Justin Simon rewarded for impressive year". New York Post. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. Snider, Ethan (April 10, 2019). "St. John's Justin Simon declares for NBA Draft". Rumble in the Garden. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. Miller, Andrew (June 23, 2019). "Chicago Bulls: G Justin Simon solid Summer League addition". Pippen Ain't Easy. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  7. Walton, Michael (September 12, 2019). "Report: Bulls to add Justin Simon on Exhibit 10 contract". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. Amico, Sam (October 21, 2019). "Bulls waive Doyle, undrafted rookies Simon and Shittu". Amico Hoops. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. McGraw, Mike (March 20, 2020). "Season likely over, but Windy City Bulls coach thankful for development". Daily Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
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