Tribute to the Champs: Justin Simon

Justin Simon had quite the experience with Paris Basketball in his debut BKT EuroCup season. After joining the club in early December as an injury replacement for Sebastian Herrera, the 27-year-old played in 14 games and never tasted defeat as he went on to become a EuroCup champion.

Simon made a good impression on his EuroCup debut, finishing with 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in a 79-110 win at Wolves Vilnius in Round 10, before building on those numbers with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in a 100-70 victory against Umana Reyer Venice and 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in a 120-91 triumph over Veolia Towers Hamburg. Three games, three wins and three times reaching the century mark in points. It was a sign of things to come.

Always coming off the bench, Simon’s impact continued in the remainder of the regular season, ending with averages of 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.9 steals and a 9.0 PIR across nine games. Then, following a solid display in the quarterfinal win against Joventut Badalona, amassing 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in almost 29 minutes on the floor, Simon really came to the fore in the semifinals against the London Lions. In Game 1, he posted 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal in a 99-86 win, then recorded 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in an 85-93 closeout win in the English capital in Game 2.

Simon never took a back seat in the EuroCup Finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, despite playing just 16:21 minutes in Game 2, as he finished the series with averages of 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals and a 9.5 PIR. Paris’s star guard pairing of TJ Shorts and Nadir Hifi earned headlines right across the continent, but the shooting guard was always on hand to come in and offer something positive from the bench. As such, even though he didn’t play the full season, we can say with confidence that Simon is a deserving EuroCup champion.