Ben Simmons officially made his return to the NBA court on Saturday, Oct. 10, playing in a preseason game for the Sacramento Kings against the Golden State Warriors.
Inserted into the starting lineup due to Domantas Sabonis being sidelined, Simmons played a restricted nine minutes in the first quarter before being shut down for the night.
Simmons showed flashes of his aggressive form, finishing with 7 points and 1 assist on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, though he also recorded two turnovers and two early personal fouls.
His performance gave Simmons renewed belief in himself, saying after the game that he is just as good as he once was.
“It felt really good,” Simmons said. “When you’re out for a year and come back, it’s a good feeling to just be out there and compete and get the first one out of the way.”
Ben Simmons Is Now Healthy And Confident
Simmons attributed his feeling to his health after sitting out the past season to recuperate from his chronic back injury.
“A lot of it is just being healthy and being able to do what I do, and also adding to that, being more aggressive,” Simmons said. “I’m older now. I’m about the same player I was a few years ago, especially given that I’m healthy.”
Simmons showed short jumpers and one-handers, similar to what he did when he was still playing at an All-Star level with the Philadelphia 76ers. At one point, he did it against defensive virtuoso Draymond Green.
Simmons added that he feels that the game has slowed down for him, allowing him to make better decisions on the court.
“The game has just slowed down a lot for me, and I see a lot more now. Having a lot of years under my belt, the game has slowed down for me, and I can make better decisions. Obviously, I haven’t played in a year, but I still feel confident out there to make the right plays,” he said.
Ben Simmons Wants To Be Smart In Reintegration To NBA Basketball
With the Sacramento Kings, Ben Simmons does not have much pressure to be a star or lead the team to winning ways.
Simmons acknowledged that after his first game back against the Warriors, insisting that he wants to be smart in his reintegration to the court.
“It’s a buildup. It’s part of this process that I’m going through. Just being smart about it, but I feel great,” he said. “I put in a lot of work to get back here, so it’s just being smart about it.”
“Obviously, I haven’t played in a year. This is my first time playing in a year. For me, it’s just doing the right things and being smart about it, and building from there because it’s going to be a long year.”
Simmons signed to a one-year, veteran minimum contract worth up to $3.52 million with the Kings in the offseason.
The incentive-free, low-risk structure carries a salary cap hit of roughly $2.45 million for Sacramento and allows the front office flexibility, as it does not include any multi-year stability or guaranteed money at signing.
Simmons is utilizing this contract as a professional lifeline to rebuild his value and establish himself as a versatile, multi-positional bench player.
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