Colorado Basketball: Projected depth chart and starting lineup for 2023-24

Point guard

Projected starter: KJ Simpson (32 mpg)

The former top-100 prospect managed to double his scoring production as a sophomore, averaging 15.9 ppg and 3.8 apg last season. That included performances such as 30 points and six assists against Texas A&M, along with a season-high 31 points versus Stanford.

Simpson isn’t without his flaws, as he was very inefficient from the field. The 6’2 guard shot just 40% from the field and 28% from three-point range, with just five games out of 29 with at least three made shots from deep. With how much volume he has on offense, Colorado Basketball needs more efficiency from him in order to be more consistent as a team.

Key reserve: Julian Hammond (8 mpg)

As a team, the Buffaloes were average overall in the passing department, averaging 13.0 apg as a team. It makes sense since guys like Simpson were good self-creators on offense. But as you can see, when those shots weren’t going in, wins were hard to come by. Simpson played 35+ mpg in Pac-12 play over eight times, so expect him to be on the court a lot of the time.

When he’s on the bench, look for Hammond to be the backup ball-handler. He was second on the team with 2.0 apg, including a season-high six assists (along with 14 points) against UCLA. The junior guard is more than capable of keeping the Buffs offense afloat when Simpson is on the bench.

Honorable mentions go with freshmen guards Courtney Anderson Jr. and RJ Smith. If either become true guards that can get minutes, they may be better backup ball-handler options than Hammond.