Ben Simmons is back in the NBA, and the Sacramento Kings are betting there’s still enough left in the tank to make the move worthwhile.
The Kings reportedly signed Simmons, adding him to a list of veterans who have worked their way back into the league after a year away. Trey Lyles did it for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Mario Herzonja did it for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Simmons drew less buzz than those names, but he still had interest from the champion New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers.
At 30, Simmons is a long way from the version of himself that looked like a star with the Philadelphia 76ers at 23. A run of back injuries took a toll on his athleticism, and a mental break helped send his career into a sharp decline.
Even so, the Kings didn’t bring him in just because his name still carries weight. There are still useful pieces in his game, and that’s the real reason this signing matters.
The best way to think about Simmons now is not as a headline player, but as a bench piece with a very specific job: point forward, connector, and generator of open threes for others.
That part of his game has held up. Back in Philadelphia, Simmons was one of the league’s best at creating open three-point looks for teammates, and that skill remained elite even as the rest of his athleticism faded.
For Sacramento, that should make life easier across the roster. Maxime Raynaud, who had an excellent rookie season as a second-round pick, should get more help on the defensive interior and another playmaker to work alongside, even if Raynaud probably wants to handle more of the passing himself.
The player who may benefit most is rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. The Arkansas guard comes with shaky shot selection, but his value is tied heavily to making shots, and Simmons can help him by hiding him defensively and getting him cleaner looks if he’s willing to move without the ball.
There’s also a Pacers angle here, and it’s hard not to see it. The Kings’ lineup, in some ways, looks a lot like Indiana’s bench.
Andrew Nembhard is basically a much better version of Acuff. Huff is similar to Raynaud.
And Simmons, in the ideal version of this discussion, does the things Indiana wants Jarace Walker to do - only better.
He can create open shots for teammates. He can defend as part of a connected group. He can push in transition.
That’s why the Pacers may look back at this and wonder if they missed a clean fit. It wouldn’t be a disaster-level miss, but if Simmons can get anywhere close to his early Brooklyn Nets form, Indiana’s biggest issue - its bench - had a solution sitting there in plain sight.
And that kind of oversight can be the difference between hanging around and actually contending.
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Tyrese Haliburton Found Another Way To Needle Wisconsin Fans
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On The Pat McAfee Show, Haliburton said he no longer supports the Brewers, adding another layer to the cross-state ribbing that has followed him since the Pacers run through Milwaukee. The All-Star has stayed busy away from the court, too, with offseason stops that have included WWE involvement, his marriage and charity work, but this latest appearance fit neatly into the kind of playful edge he has brought to Indianas rivalry with Wisconsin. [Read more 🡒]