Cody Williams, Tristan Da Silva, KJ Simpson, Nique Clifford, Isaiah Stevens

Brian breaks down the top prospects in the state of Colorado. This includes wing Cody Williams, wing Tristan Da Silva, guard KJ Simpson, wing Dominque Clifford, and guard Isaiah Stevens.

Both Colorado teams made the NCAA tournament. Colorado was a 10th seed that ended up making it to the Round of 32 to lose to Marquette. It was an underwhelming season until the very end. Colorado State had a very good season and ended up in the 7th seed. They lost in the Round of 64 vs. Texas. However, it was a good season overall. Both teams ended up in the Last 4 in and won their respective games. Let's get into the prospects!

Cody Williams/Colorado

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Cody Williams is the younger brother of Oklahoma City wing Jalen Williams. The one from Santa Clara. While there are similarities to their games, Cody plays a bit differently to Jalen Williams, and these differences need to be highlighted. Cody is a very good prospect and has a pretty high ceiling.

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Personal Opinion

I know that he’s been falling down draft boards recently, I haven’t moved him down that much. I’m not panicking as much because we knew going into the season that it could be a bit rough. Cody absolutely needs to get stronger and he dealt with a lot of injuries this season. The tools are there and I think it's worth taking the swing on him. I do like that he was a very good rim finisher despite his size. Once he gets stronger, I imagine that improves even more. I am hesitant on the jump shot and that will need to improve for him to reach his ceiling. He’s nowhere near the shooter Jalen is.

Fantasy

It’s probably going to take him a while to become a good fantasy player. The only appeal currently is the FG%. Everything else probably won’t be a positive barring him playing heavy minutes. He’s still a work in progress, but there is legitimate upside given the fact he can handle the ball drive pretty well. I could see a top 50 outcome but development is key here.

If Cody fails in the league, Why?

He never becomes a decent shooter and he’s hard to play on offense. He struggles to finish around the rim in the NBA and that takes away the one thing he does well. He also might never physically develop, but that seems unlikely given his brother. He struggles to adjust to the league, and his expectations become too high for him due to his brother.

I’ll credit Global Scouting with this, and it is worth mentioning that the high school number is incorrect and that Synergy didn’t get all of his games in, so that number is faulty, but what does make me hesitate is the other numbers. He doesn’t take 3’s and he doesn’t knock them down. While that's good if he really can’t shoot it, it does make you wonder about his potential.

Furthermore, it is worth noting something. Cody Williams has some statistical red flags in his game. He’s not the scorer Devin Booker is, so don’t worry about that. Furthermore, none of the NBA guys had this low of a volume from 3. So it’s going to be pretty interesting to see how this goes.

Big Performance Highlights

November 29th vs. Colorado State

21 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 To, 8-12 FT, 1-1 3PT, 4-5 FT

Overall it was a good game from Cody Williams, however for fantasy, it was a really empty game apart from the points. He was efficient from the field, and hard to expect much more in one of the first few games of the season. Colorado lost this game by 5 points.

January 18th vs. Oregon

23 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 To, 10-13 FG, 3-4 3PT, 0-1 FT

This was Cody’s best game of the season hands down. Colorado won this game by 16 points and Williams was a big part of it. He did a little bit of everything and was efficient from the field and from 3. He started to get hurt, not long after this game and his season started to derail from there.

Tristan Da Silva/Colorado

Joel Broida

Tristan Da Silva is the brother of Oscar Da Silva who was at Stanford and a prospect in 2021. Da Silva is a big wing that can do a lot of things at a solid level. He’s a master of none, apart from the good size, feel for the game, and his potential as a role player.

Personal Opinion

I like Da Silva and think he’s going to be solid. He can dribble, shoot, defend alright, and do a lot of the little things. He’s also got really good size and just does everything well enough. I could see him as high as a high level starter, to out of the league due to his lack of elite abilities. He seems like a high character guy and he’s just all around solid.

Fantasy

He won’t kill you in any areas but won’t provide you one stat that you might need to stream in. He’ll be solid, if he starts he will probably have some top 100 seasons without having any elite skill set. While that has value, in category leagues, there are players that you can find off waivers that better provide value off waivers in circumstances. There could be more upside there depending on how well everything translates, but time will tell.

If Tristan fails in the league, Why?

Because he’s a master of none, the fact that he doesn’t have an elite skill could really hold him back in a lot of circumstances. The shooting could fall off a bit, and that marginal dip could be a difference.

As you can see, there are a lot of solid starters here, but none of them stand out a ton. One thing that they all did well was shoot the basketball. Keegan Murray, Cameron Johnson, Trey Murphy are all valuable to their teams and didn’t exactly kill you anywhere. If Da Silva doesn’t become that elite shooter, he could be just a bench piece. Shout out to Jalen Bridges from the last article too.

Big Performance Highlights

March 3rd vs. Stanford

27 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 To, 11-18 FG, 5-10 3PT

This was a really good game from Da Silva. Having a near 30 point double double is really nice. Stanford was not good this season and Colorado only won this game by 10, but it wouldn’t have had happened if had not been for Da Silva

March 24th vs. Marquette

17 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 To, 7-14 FG, 3-7 3PT

The reason I wanted to highlight this one is because, this is basically what Da Silva has been doing all season. This was a big time game and Da Silva made some plays down the stretch that kept it close. Marquette was a very good basketball team, so no shame in losing. However, these are the types of performances we can expect if Da Silva hits.

KJ Simpson/Colorado

Serena Rodriguez

KJ Simpson is an undersized guard that can really score the basketball. He had a really rocky first two seasons in college basketball, but this season, he really stepped up his efficiency and became one of the best players in the country this season. He even had a big game winning shot in the NCAA tournament that was very similar to Kawhi’s shot in the East Semis against the 76ers.

Personal Opinion

I am a lot more skeptical on KJ Simpson. It’s true that his role and mentality changed a lot this season, and he became a lot more of a natural PG. However, players can have outlier shooting seasons and it happens quite a bit. Also, given the fact that KJ is a small guard that doesn’t have elite defensive abilities, I find it really hard to see him as a draftable guy. There’s a chance he does work out, but I would rather take that chance on the undrafted market than where consensus has him.

Fantasy

He’s a good rebounder for his size and he’s a decent passer. If this season was legit and he’s improved this much, then the scoring and efficiency is a positive and if he does hit, I think he could end up having a top 100 season, but I don’t think having the ball in his hands to run a lot of the offense is going to lead to a lot of success in the NBA. It didn’t lead to a ton of success in college as Colorado was one of the Last Four In.

If KJ fails in the league, Why?

The efficiency doesn’t translate and he’s basically a small, inefficient shot chucking guard. Remember Sharife Cooper? He didn’t make it because of the size and inefficiency. Sharife was probably a better prospect and younger than KJ, though some might disagree with that. However, there’s a reason why Sharife never got a fair chance after Atlanta let him go.

There are a lot of names here, but there’s something worth noting with a lot of these guys. He’s not Dame, he’s not Fred. However, Pritchard isn’t outrageous. Reggie Jackson isn’t outrageous either. If he hits, he can be like those guys. I think Pritchard was a lot better as a player in college. There are outcomes like Malachi Flynn, Trey Burke, Tyler Ulis. So it’s not all roses.

Big Performance Highlights

February 28th vs. California

27 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 To, 8-15 FG, 2-5 3PT, 9-11 FT

This was KJ’s best game of the season from a fantasy perspective. Getting 7 rebounds and 4 steals is huge. Colorado won this game by 10 points and this game was a show from the potential NBA prospects in KJ Simpson, Tristan Da Silva, and Jaylon Tyson.

March 22nd vs. Florida

23 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 To, 7-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 8-9 FT

This was the game where KJ Simpson took over and won this game for Colorado in the round of 64. This was a game where both teams got over 100 points in regulation and this game had it all. KJ Simpson hit the game winning (Kawhi) shot in this win.

Dominique Clifford/Colorado State

Logan Newell/The Coloradoan

Nique Clifford spent his first 3 seasons at Colorado, playing behind Tristan Da Silva funny enough. He decided to transfer to Colorado State, which made a lot of sense given that Cody Williams was coming in. While he transferred down, he improved a lot and has really emerged as a draftable guy this season.

Personal Opinion

The flashes look really interesting but I do not love his splits in Colorado. If he played better, I’d feel a lot better about his chances, but this is a one year sample size of him being a very good shooter. The defense is real, no question. If he does shoot it, it’s not insane to see him helping a contender as early as his rookie season. No Ceilings has been talking about Nique Clifford all season and has had him in the first round conversation for most of the season. Consensus hasn’t agreed with that, and I tend to be a lot more in the middle. He checks a lot of the boxes for players that I tend to like, however I do not know what to think about his seasons in Colorado in comparison to Colorado State. He’ll have a chance at the combine though.

Fantasy

If he does hit, he’ll be a very interesting fantasy player, because of the high rebounds, high assists, and good defensive numbers. A lot does depend on the shot, because he’s not good enough defensively to warrant having him on the court if he’s a complete negative offensively. He could have some top 70 seasons IF the shooting is real. If it's not, then maybe top 150 if he starts but only as a defensive stats streamer.

If Nique fails in the league, Why?

The shooting goes back to what it was the past 3 seasons and he’s nothing more than a solid athlete that can defend but can’t shoot at all. He also could struggle defensively which could eliminate any value he has.

Obviously, he’s not Draymond Green or DeJuan Blair. I wouldn’t even say he’s Kenrich Williams. I want to point out a couple guys. Anthony Lamb had a bit of time in the NBA and there’s some similarities there. If he hits, Miles Bridges without the elite athleticism isn’t a crazy outcome. He came into the league as a defensive minded wing. Not far off from what Clifford is.

Big Performance Highlights

March 14th vs. Nevada

14 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 To, 5-8 FG, 0-2 3PT, 4-6 FT

Colorado State won this game by 7 points in the Mountain West Quarterfinal. Nique Clifford was a big reason Colorado won this game. He shot it well, but wasn’t forcing it too much, but stuffed the peripheral stats in this one. Nevada’s big men had an off night in this win and Nique had an impact there.

March 21st vs. Virginia

17 Pts, 10 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 To, 7-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-3 FT

This was the game where Nique Clifford started to make a name for himself nationally as Nique and the Rams knocked out Virginia from the NCAA tournament. Nique had an impact defensively in this game and was getting to the rim well. He wasn’t far off from a triple double.

Isaiah Stevens/Colorado State

Collegian | Gregory James

Isaiah Stevens is a very good college guard that has led the Rams for half a decade. He’s been a steady force and been a very good scorer for Colorado State. The concern with him is that he’s really small, and isn’t an elite offensive player in a non-elite conference. He'll be at the G League Elite camp this season and will likely be given a shot at least. So let’s break it down.

Personal Opinion:

Small guard that can shoot it pretty well but not an elite defender. It’s hard for me to get too excited in terms of someone that will make an NBA impact. He might, but I think the best case scenario for him is a backup PG. He’ll likely have a decent career overseas though.

Fantasy

If he does some way to hit, he’ll provide good efficiency and does provide some good playmaking. However, I think his upside is so limited that if you don’t want a crack at him, it has to be UDFA. He’ll be someone to note if he starts getting a bit of a run, you’ll at least know the upside with him. He could be like a Jacob Gilyard from this season.

If Isaiah fails in the league, Why?

The defense isn’t good enough to justify having him on the court. He’s too small and will get targeted on that end.

As you can see, uh…yeah. Do I need to say much more? Cassius Winston, Scott Machado, and Jawun Evans got a cup of coffee in the NBA but that’s it.

Big Performance Highlights

November 29th vs. Colorado

20 Pts, 2 Reb, 11 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 To, 6-13 FG, 1-3 3PT, 7-8 FT

This was Stevens best game of the season against an opponent that was a tournament team. Colorado State won this game by 5. We already covered this game a bit above. Stevens was a big reason why they won and had no problem scoring on Simpson.

Final Thoughts

Cody Williams is an athletic wing that managed to finish very well around the basket. He’s very good in transition as well but had a really bad end to the season due to injuries. I have a really hard time with him at this point. He was my #1 guy for a while. Then he got hurt and never recovered. The overall numbers look really bad. The film before he got hurt looks really nice. A lot is going to depend on the combine. Right now I have him at 9 and he could go up or down. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, Cody Williams went 10th to the Utah Jazz.

Tristan Da Silva is a really solid all around forward that can shoot the basketball and defend. He’s gotten better every single season and really projects well as an off ball wing. He does a lot of the little things and is a good teammate. I currently have Tristan Da Silva at 15 on my board and I feel good about it. I don’t see him rising much higher, but I could see him get drafted higher. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, Tristan Da Silva went 20th to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

KJ Simpson is a scoring guard that really improved this season. He can rebound really well for a guard as well. The questions are with the efficiency but if the improvement is real, he could be a contributor as soon as next season. I go back and forth on Simpson but I also wonder how good this Colorado team was this season with 3 NBA legitimate prospects on the team, nearly missing the tournament. Cody I get, Da Silva isn’t a high usage guy. I feel like it's on the coach or a bit on Simpson. OR he’s not actually all that. My inclination is that Simpson is probably the odd man out and he might struggle. However, I could be very wrong. I currently have KJ Simpson at 60 and this is the highest I’ve had him for a bit. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, KJ Simpson went 51st to the Washington Wizards.

Nique Clifford is a toolsy wing that can defend really well. He has struggled with inconsistency but this season, shot it really well from 3. The flashes look very very interesting, but how much do you base on a one year sample, when you have 3 of them being mediocre. I currently have him at 50 on my board. 2-way wings are very valuable in the NBA, and Nique is that. If he plays well at the combine and shoots it well, he could really rise, and I wouldn’t outrule the first round for him. There are some people in Draft Twitter that really like him, but I am a little more skeptical. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, Nique Clifford went 42nd to the Charlotte Hornets.

Isaiah Stevens is an undersized scoring guard that led the Rams for the past 5 seasons. He can score in a lot of situations and tries on defense. The concerns with him include the size and whether or not that will translate to the NBA. I haven’t had Isaiah Stevens in my top 100 at any point this season. He is in my top 120 though. I think there’s a chance but there’s other guys I’d rather take a crack on if I was in charge of an NBA team. In the recent Dizzle Dynasty Mock, Isaiah Stevens went undrafted.