Ben Simmons‘ return may be the headline of the Sacramento Kings’ preseason matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday but one player seemed to have picked up a really serious injury during the game.
Kings sophomore center Maxime Raynaud suffered an apparent right knee injury late in the first half of their 111-106 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors.
With 2:32 remaining in the second quarter at Chase Center, the 7-foot-1 big man went down in visible agony after colliding knee-to-knee with Warriors guard Stephen Curry while setting an on-ball screen for rookie Darius Acuff Jr..
Ben Simmons Understands His Teammate’s Injury Situation
Simmons was the first one to go to Raynaud on the court to check on him. Simmons said that gesture was him giving empathy to his teammate, who was then wheelchair-transported off the court after the incident.
“I’ve been through it. I know that feeling. So regardless of the sport itself or what happens, you just want to show support to your teammates,” Simmons said after the game. “You got to be a good person, man. Like, the game is the game. Like we lost, who cares? I’m more worried about my teammate and how he’s doing.”
Raynaud, who was having an excellent game with 10 points and 5 rebounds in just 9 minutes, had to be taken off the floor in a wheelchair and was later seen leaving the arena on crutches with a heavily wrapped knee.
Kings ruled him out for the game, and there is a growing fear within the organization that they have lost their young center for the foreseeable future. An official diagnosis and timeline await the results of an upcoming MRI.
Simmons knows the impact of injuries on a young career. Over the past five years, Simmons was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his lower back, which caused acute, radiating pain down his right side. To address the damage, he underwent his first major back surgery in May 2022 to remove a fragment of the herniated L4 disc.
Unfortunately, the surgery did not resolve his structural issues, and he fell into a cycle of chronic nerve irritation and impingement in the lower left side of his back.
The chronic pain followed him before his self-induced hiatus from the sport last season.
Now, he is back with the Kings after signing a one-year contract with the team as a lifeline for his NBA career.
Ben Simmons Feels Good After Game Vs Warriors
Ben Simmons is already getting his confidence back after his first NBA games in over a year.
“It felt really good,” Simmons said after the game. “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.”
Being healthy is a big reason for that.
“A lot of it is just being healthy and being able to do what I do, and also adding to that, being more aggressive. I’m older now. I’m about the same player I was a few years ago, especially given that I’m healthy,” he added.
Simmons is expected to be a bench cog for the squad, but if his promising performances continue, he could certainly be getting a prominent role with the team in the regular season.
Ben Simmons Gives Thoughtful Message To Wheelchaired Teammate