Hornets rookie KJ Simpson says team is tired of ‘underdog mentality’

Friday, noon Charlotte Hornets almost made a stunning goal against the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup.

Charlotte was without LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann, Miles Bridges, Nick Richards and Mark Williams, but gave the Knicks everything they could handle. In fact, the Hornets had a slight lead for most of the game, due in part to their stinginess on defense.

Hornets head coach Charles Lee had to count on some of his young players to step up, and they certainly did. First-round pick Tidjan Salaun had 14 points and eight rebounds, while fellow rookie KJ Simpson had 11 points, two assists and two steals.

As encouraging and impressive as it was that the Hornets stayed close to one of the top teams in the East, KJ Simpson isn’t happy with the result.

“It’s not nice to lose. I hate losing. I’m a loser. I’m pretty sure the whole team is like that. Nobody likes to lose. It’s also frustrating because we don’t have some guys; it’s just basketball. Obviously we’re upset because we certainly could have gotten this win and just like the other game, we could have gotten it. We’re just tired of this loser mentality. We are here. This is not a reason to go crazy. We are here. We just need to come in tomorrow with the same mentality.”

The Hornets return to action tonight against the Atlanta Hawks, looking to end a four-game losing streak.

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