KJ Simpson remembers making the trip down Route 36 from Boulder to Denver to watch his friends play in NBA games at Ball Arena.

But a few weeks ago, it was Simpson’s turn to have everyone come see him.

Even though the rookie guard didn’t suit up for the Hornets’ Feb. 20 game against the Nuggets, as he stood on the court postgame with a few friends from his time at Colorado, including current senior guard and former roommate Julian Hammond III, Simpson had made it.

“I’ve just been loving it,” Simpson told The Denver Gazette. “This is everything I dreamed about. I came here to see Jabari (Walker) play, to see McKinley (Wright IV) play. To be here now is insane. I just try to embrace every opportunity and moment.”

For Simpson, those opportunities are hit and miss due to the two-way contract he signed after being selected 42nd overall by the Hornets in last year’s draft.

That came after his stellar junior season with the Buffaloes, one in which he put together one of the best campaigns by a guard in program history, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors and leading the way as Tad Boyle’s team won a CU record 26 games. 

He’s allowed to be active for up to 50 of the 82 regular season NBA games, so he’s gone back and forth between Charlotte and its G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

None of that has affected the mindset that CU fans saw for three years in Boulder.

“I think he’s done a really good job of transitioning between the Swarm and the Hornets,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said. “He, himself, has the right attitude and mindset of what every day should look like. I think that he came in as a rookie and just talked about how we were going to get the absolute best version of KJ Simpson and he was gonna maximize everything that he had and every opportunity that he got. He’s done that.

“Every day, he comes in, he’s a sponge, he’s trying to ask questions and he’s curious and he applies it really quickly.”

Down in the G-League, Simpson has put up similar numbers to what he did last season as an all-Pac-12 player for CU. In eight games, he’s averaging nearly 22 points per game on good efficiency (50% from the field and 46% from 3-point range) to go with more than six rebounds and five assists per game.

That’s not what the Hornets are asking of him, however. They want him to use every ounce of his 6-foot, 189-pound frame to be a disruptor.

“The biggest thing that I have seen from him is that when he gets in the game, he’s changing the whole flow and the whole pace of the game with his aggressiveness defensively, picking up full court,” Lee said. “I think he’s doing a better job of understanding tendencies and where he needs to be and getting there early. Offensively, his pace has been really good, and when he plays with an aggression and doesn’t try to defer too much to the guys around him and just takes what the game gives him, he’s actually been really effective.

“Really happy with his growth and I know he’s going to continue to get better and better everyday.”

That progress has led to increased minutes recently for Simpson.

After coming off the bench in the first 17 games of his career, Simpson has started four of his last six appearances for Charlotte and has been in double figures in five of those six games, including a career-best 16 points last month against the Warriors.

While CU fans won’t forget Simpson for his countless big scoring games (over 1,400 career points in three seasons) and the big shots he made, namely the one to beat Florida in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, that’s not what is going to define him as an NBA player.

If he’s able to carve out a role in the NBA and have a long, successful career, it’ll be because of his defensive abilities, which improved year after year in Boulder.

“There’s a lot of guys in the league — the Patrick Beverleys of the world, the T.J. McConnells — who when they come in, they just change the complexion of the game,” Lee said. “Like, you can feel their presence, whether they’re scoring or not, there’s just an intensity and an aggression.”

That message from Simpson’s current coach is music to his former coach’s ears.

“All that kid needs is an opportunity and he’s gonna make the most of it,” Boyle told The Denver Gazette recently. “Obviously, he was disappointed on draft night and (getting) a two-way contract. That’s the risk you take when you know you’re a second-rounder. But, he’s made the most of it.

“The one thing about KJ is he’s a tough kid, he’s got a great attitude and he’s a competitor. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s worked his way into some minutes because he’s always ready and he believes in himself and I certainly believe in him.”

Simpson believes in himself, too. That hasn’t changed since he left CU. As a matter of fact, not much about him has — and that’s probably the best compliment anyone could give him.

“I’m so grateful for every opportunity,” Simpson said. “Anytime I get to go on the court, I’m just gonna show that and show that with my play, my attitude and the person I am. I never try to worry about anything. I just try to keep it simple.”