The first preseason game has already come and gone for the Sacramento Kings, and Ben Simmons was nowhere on the floor. The expectation now is that he could make his debut in the preseason rematch against the Lakers, though even that remains uncertain.
That delay fits into a strange atmosphere surrounding Simmons in Sacramento. The Kings have been patient so far, and they say they plan to bring him along gradually after a long layoff from the league and a career marked by injury problems. The thinking is that too much, too soon could stir up old issues.
There’s also a bigger-picture claim floating around: the Kings reportedly believe Simmons can still perform at near All-Star levels. If that holds, he would eventually work under minutes restrictions and could even push for a starting role later in the regular season.
But that’s where the whole thing starts to feel shaky. Sacramento has a roster with young players who need time on the court, especially rookies and sophomores.
Even the minutes going to players like De'Andre Hunter, who will be gone by the end of the season at the latest, already complicate the picture. Adding talk of Simmons moving into the starting five only makes it more crowded.
His role was supposed to be straightforward - backing up Darius Acuff at point guard. Elfrid Payton, frankly, seems better suited to that job. What it should not become is a project about restoring Simmons or rebuilding his image, but that’s the direction this appears to be drifting.
The more expansive the language gets around Simmons, the more uneasy the situation feels. If the Kings keep leaning into him and things go wrong, the fallout only grows. And with Ben Simmons, things have a way of going wrong fast.
In Other News...
Clippers Bring Back A Familiar Name As Roster Battle Takes Shape
The preseason roster churn around the Western Conference keeps rolling, and Sacramento has already been part of it. After signing Trhae Mitchell, the Kings moved on from him in a corresponding Exhibit 10 deal, one of several transactions around the league aimed at stocking G League pipelines and keeping options open heading into training camp.
Elsewhere, the Clippers added a familiar face in Jahmyl Telfort on an Exhibit 10 contract after previously cycling him through a two-way deal before cutting him in December, while Portland waived Jaylen Martin in another bonus-linked move. For the Kings, it is another small reminder of how quickly the back end of a roster can change, even when the bigger decisions are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Still Have One Frontcourt Battle Fans Should Watch Closely
Domantas Sabonis is still in Sacramento after the Kings were unable to move him over the offseason, which keeps the frontcourt hierarchy pretty clear heading into the rest of camp. Sabonis is expected to handle the starting center role, but the more intriguing question for the Kings right now is how the minutes behind him will be sorted out as the team works through the preseason.
Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell are the two rookie centers trying to seize that backup opportunity, and both made useful cases in the preseason opener. With the coaching staff still sorting out how much run each big man deserves, the coming games should offer a better read on which rookie is more likely to stick in the rotation and how Sacramento wants to manage its size behind Sabonis. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Pressure Is Already Building Around Doug Christies Biggest Problem
The preseason opener against the Lakers offered an early reminder of why defense has become such a familiar headache in Sacramento. The Kings once again had trouble moving and covering as a unit, a familiar issue that has lingered around the franchise for years and keeps putting the spotlight back on the same question: can this group defend well enough to matter when the games start counting?
Doug Christie enters his second full season with the Kings trying to show real progress on that side of the ball, and the pressure is not subtle. The organization has not been patient when a coachs results stall, and with ownership wanting changes if the defense does not improve, every uneven stretch only sharpens the scrutiny around Christie and the direction of the team. [Read more 🡒]