Ben Simmons’ return to an NBA floor in a Kings uniform was modest in the box score, but the bigger moment came after the whistle.
After more than a year away from the league, Simmons came back as Sacramento’s starting power forward against the Warriors. The Kings were always going to ease him in because of his injury history and the rust that builds after that kind of layoff, and the early result matched that cautious approach. He played just a shade under nine minutes in his preseason debut, finished with seven points on 2 of 4 shooting and added one assist.
That was enough to count as a start, but not enough to turn heads on its own. What made the night stand out was what Simmons did when teammate Maxime Raynaud went down.
Raynaud, the sophomore center, injured his right patella and will be reevaluated in two weeks. There is no timeline for his return, which means Sacramento will need to reshuffle its rotations for the long term.
Simmons was the first King over to check on him. When Raynaud was taken to the back in a wheelchair, Simmons stayed by his side. Later, he said he knew exactly how Raynaud was feeling and wanted to be there for him.
For Sacramento, Simmons’ game still matters. The Kings need him to become a steady piece of the roster. But they also need the version of him that showed up beside Raynaud - the veteran presence, the teammate paying attention, the guy young players can lean on.
That kind of response suggests a different Simmons from his first run in the league. Fans will want the old flashes back on the court, but the Kings could use this newer version just as much in the locker room.
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The real test comes in how the Kings pair him with rookie Darius Acuff Jr., with the idea being to simplify Acuffs job while also seeing whether Simmons can handle the demands of a larger role again. It is a balancing act between spacing, functionality and confidence, and it leaves Sacramento with a familiar early-season question: how much can a lineup gain from Simmons if it has to be built around what he can still give, not just what he once was? [Read more 🡒]