The NBA Draft is still a few weeks away, but Alpharetta native Kobi Simmons is hard at work, determined to show his worth to teams and improve his stock.
On Monday, Simmons joined Villanova guard Josh Hart and several other prospects in Phoenix in a workout with the Suns. The Suns have three picks in the upcoming draft — Nos. 4, 32 and 54 — and their assistant general manager was impressed with Simmons’s workout, calling him an “intriguing” prospect.
"… He looked solid playing the pick-and-roll. Obviously, he's extremely athletic so his continued growth in that position will be something to evaluate," Pat Connelly told reporters.
Simmons, 19, enters the draft after spending just one season at Arizona where he started in 19 games, helped the Wildcats reach the Sweet 16 and averaged 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and two assists per game. At 6-foot-5, Simmons played more off the ball at Arizona, but he's out to prove that he's an NBA point guard.
"I was relying on another player and now I'm taking the ball down the court and the team is relying on me," Simmons told reporters. "So, it's being a vocal leader and showing what I can do on the pick and roll, and the intensity I show on the court."
Simmons told reporters that it was “really tough” for him to leave Arizona, that he “loved” his time there and he never considered transferring. The former McDonalds All-American picked Arizona over Kentucky, UNLV, Ohio State and other schools after scoring more than 2,400 career points and winning two state titles at St. Francis High School.
After starting the first half of the Wildcats season — including a 20-point outing in a win over UCLA — Simmons fell out of the starting lineup and played just five minutes in Arizona’s Sweet 16 loss to Xavier.
DraftExpress has Simmons slated to be picked at No. 58 by the New York Knicks.
Photos of his workout with the Suns can be seen at nba.com.
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