Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
Justin Simon is a versatile guard known for his defensive mindset, rebounding ability, and willingness to do the little things that help teams win. Rather than relying on high scoring totals, he has built his career through toughness, playmaking, and an all-around approach to the game.
Player Profile
- Full Name: Justin D’John Simon. (St. John’s University Athletics)
- Nickname: Unverified.
- Nationality: American / USA. (fiba.basketball)
- Date of Birth: May 6, 1996. (fiba.basketball)
- Hometown: Temecula, California, United States. (University of Arizona Athletics)
- Height: 6’5″ (196 cm). (fiba.basketball)
- Weight: About 215 lbs / 97-98 kg. (NBA G League Stats)
- Wingspan: Roughly 7 feet; a pre-draft measurement listed him at 6’11.25″. (Illawarra Hawks)
- Shoe Size: Unverified.
- Jersey Number (college and NBA):
- Arizona Wildcats — #3.
- St. John’s Red Storm — #5.
- NBA — No regular-season NBA jersey number verified; he went undrafted in 2019 and did not log an NBA regular-season stint. In the G League with the Windy City Bulls, he wore #5. (RealGM Basketball)
- Position: Guard / wing.
- High School: Temecula Valley High School; Brewster Academy. (University of Arizona Athletics)
- College: Arizona (2015-16); St. John’s (2017-19). (University of Arizona Athletics)
- NBA Draft: 2019, undrafted, no team, no pick.
- Teams Played For:
- Arizona Wildcats (2015-16)
- St. John’s Red Storm (2017-19)
- Windy City Bulls (2019-20)
- Illawarra Hawks (2020-21)
- ratiopharm Ulm (2021)
- MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg (2021-22)
- Sydney Kings (2022-23)
- Scaligera Verona / Tezenis Verona (2023)
- Bnei Herzliya (2023)
- Paris Basketball (2023-24)
- MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg (2024-25)
- ratiopharm Ulm (2025-present). (Euroleague Basketball)
- Championship Rings: No NBA championship rings; he won the 2023 NBL title with the Sydney Kings and the 2024 EuroCup with Paris Basketball. (Euroleague Basketball)
- Children: Unverified.
- Siblings: Two brothers, Kem and Zak, and one sister, Hunter. (St. John’s University Athletics)
Player Archetype / Play Style
Justin Simon’s player archetype is that of a defensive playmaking wing, a long, athletic guard-sized stopper whose value starts with disruption on one end and connective offense on the other. At 6-foot-5 with roughly a seven-foot wingspan, he has the reach, strength, and mobility to crowd ball-handlers, switch across matchups, and make life difficult for wings and guards alike, which lines up with official descriptions of him as a player who can guard one through four and with the defensive awards he won at St. John’s, in Australia, and in Germany. Offensively, his role is more secondary creator than featured scorer: he is most useful pushing pace after stops, attacking gaps in transition, slashing into the lane, and keeping possessions moving instead of trying to live off high-volume shot creation. The overall play style is high-motor, versatile, and pressure-based, with his best stretches usually coming when his defense is turning the game messy and fast. (Illawarra Hawks)
Scouting Report
Justin Simon’s game is built around making offensive possessions uncomfortable before they ever have a chance to develop. The first thing you notice is his defensive patience. He doesn’t lunge for steals or chase highlight blocks; he stays connected to the ball, uses his length to shade handlers toward help, and has a knack for timing digs and passing-lane jumps just as the offense commits to a decision. That’s where a lot of his transition offense begins. Once the ball changes hands, he’s quick to fill the middle of the floor, attack retreating defenders and either finish through contact or hit teammates running the wings before the defense gets set. In the half court, he’s much more effective as a connector than as a featured scorer. He’ll keep the ball moving, attack a tilted defense with one or two strong dribbles and make the simple read when the low man rotates, but asking him to create separation against a loaded defense or consistently punish defenders with pull-up shooting takes him outside his comfort zone. The trade-off is that teams can shrink the floor if his perimeter shot isn’t respected, making it harder for his straight-line drives to generate quality looks. What stands out offensively isn’t scoring volume; it’s how often he keeps possessions alive by making the next pass instead of forcing one. Defensively, he can switch across multiple perimeter assignments because he absorbs contact well, navigates screens without panicking and recovers with long strides when beaten initially. It’s easy to overlook how often he disrupts timing simply by denying clean catches and forcing offenses into secondary actions. To me, Simon fits best alongside high-level creators who don’t need another isolation scorer but do need someone willing to defend the toughest perimeter matchup, push the ball after stops and connect plays without demanding touches. His overall profile resembles David Nwaba because both create value through defensive versatility and opportunistic offense, while there are flashes of Andre Roberson in the way Simon influences games with positioning, length and decision-making more than polished individual shot creation.
Sources:
St. John’s University Athletics — Justin Simon – Men’s Basketball – St. John’s University Athletics
University of Arizona Athletics — Justin Simon – Men’s Basketball – University of Arizona Athletics
St. John’s University Athletics — Justin Simon Earns BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honor
Illawarra Hawks — Huge night for the Hawks as the club celebrates season 2021 in style | Illawarra Hawks
National Basketball League — Justin Simon Joins Kings
Windy City Bulls — WINDY CITY BULLS ANNOUNCE 2019-20 OPENING NIGHT ROSTER FOR TEAM’S FOURTH SEASON – Windy City Bulls
Euroleague Basketball — JUSTIN SIMON Profile | EuroCup
Paris Basketball — Justin Simon, new player for Paris Basketball
FIBA Basketball — Justin Simon (USA) – Basketball Stats, Height, Age
RealGM — Justin Simon Player Profile, Windy City Bulls