A solid Summer League is a nice start, but it doesn’t guarantee much.

That’s a lesson KJ Simpson learned last summer. After being drafted by the Hornets with the 42nd overall pick in the 2024 draft and playing in 36 NBA games as a rookie, Simpson returned to Las Vegas and started at point guard as Charlotte won last year’s Summer League. He finished the championship game, an 83-78 win over the Kings, with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Then, it was back to Charlotte to prepare for year two as a pro, but he made just 14 more appearances for the Hornets before being waived in February.

“I’m just trying to prove myself,” Simpson said Tuesday at Ball Arena after the Nuggets’ second day of Summer League minicamp. “I feel like this past season, the other team I was on, I didn’t really get a fair opportunity to really showcase my summer and the work I put in. I was ready to kind of make that leap.”

Denver’s Summer League coach and longtime NBA point guard JJ Barea sees a similar opportunity in front of Simpson this year.

“This is their season right here for guys like KJ,” Barea said Monday. “He’s been around. He’s still fighting for a position. He’s at the level that he should have a good Summer League. The way he’s playing, experience, he’s been there before, so I’m going to try to help him out as much as I can, so he can help us win games.”

The Nuggets had an open two-way roster spot after Spencer Jones earned his promotion to a standard contract in February. Denver added Colorado’s former star guard on a two-way contract that spanned the end of last season and this upcoming season soon after.

“They’ve given me an unbelievable opportunity,” Simpson said.

“Even though I came late, I felt welcomed from the team, the organization and obviously the fans, because of what I did at CU. I just really want to go out there and just prove myself and go show I can compete and be on the team.”

The 23-year-old point guard is the only member of Denver’s Summer League squad who’s appeared in a game for the Nuggets. He played a grand total of 34 minutes across six games late last season. Now, he has the task of getting a roster full of players with less NBA experience organized in the hectic Summer League environment.

“I feel so much better that KJ’s here and is going to be the point guard for this team. Today, he had a great practice,” Barea said.

“He’s the one that’s going to have to control (things) when we get a little crazy or when the tempo is crazy. He’s going to have to be the one to slow down and control the tempo. I’m just happy that I’ve got a good, experienced point guard.”

To make the most of his third Summer League experience, Simpson stuck around Denver after the Nuggets’ playoff run ended to use the team’s facilities. There hasn’t been a trip back to California or many other excursions outside of a couple of trips to the movies — “Toy Story 5” and “Obsession” received rave reviews. Now, the hope is his game will garner the same kind of praise during another trip to the desert.

“I understand the opportunity, right? People can look at it like ‘Oh, I’ve got to play Summer League. I already played,’ but if I can just go out there and showcase what I can do, for me that’s a win — not only for myself but for the Nuggets as well,” Simpson said. “Because they get to see what I’m capable of doing out there on the floor, how I can lead a team. I’ve already done it once last summer, so I’m excited to do it again. It’s just a mentality. I’m happy, and I’m excited to go out there and hoop.”