The Sacramento Kings are starting to believe in Ben Simmons returning to form and being a strong part of their future. A handful of teams showed interest in Simmons after the former All-NBA player regressed in his final few seasons. Simmons took a full year off to recover before choosing Sacramento over the Golden State Warriors and a few other teams.
Respected NBA insider Marc Spears revealed that the Kings believe Simmons will start and be back to his usual self:
“Ben Simmons is expected to make his Kings preseason debut on Thursday at Lakers or Saturday at Golden State, sources told @andscape. A sources said Simmons is healthy and has had a strong of a training camp as any Kings player but the franchise wants to ramp him up cautiously.”
Spears then claimed that he expects Simmons to contend for a starting spot once he gets past minutes restrictions and other things in his comeback. The bigger point made is that Sacramento claims Simmons was as impressive as anyone else at training camp.
Some sources told Spears that Simmons looks close to his peak Philadelphia 76ers form. Simmons was once an All-NBA player and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year to make this a strong statement.
How Ben Simmons Can Start For Kings
One huge thing that hurts Simmons from getting a starting spot is the starting center role of Domantas Sabonis. Most NBA teams don’t want to have multiple weak shooters in the lineup since it hurts the offensive efficiency of today’s game plans.
Sabonis or Simmons would have to prove they can shoot from deep to share the starting lineup in most scenarios. However, Sacramento is clearly rebuilding with minimal chance of playoff success. The development of rookie Darius Acuff is the only major thing they have to prioritize this season.
Simmons and Sabonis could share the lineup and try to split their minutes in terms of bench moves. The scenario would see Simmons playing at a high level and needing 30+ minutes per game. Sabonis could also get traded to a team like the Charlotte Hornets if the Kings decide to pivot before his contract expires.
Dream Ben Simmons Return Scenario
Many NBA fans have wondered what exactly success looks like for Simmons in this Kings tenure. Simmons didn’t look like he belonged on an NBA court when he last played for the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers.
A successful season for Simmons is simply proving he belongs in the league for the foreseeable future. Multiple teams gave him the chance to show that there is belief in his return to form. Golden State had hopes of Stephen Curry and Simmons running pick and rolls when they recruited him.
Sacramento presented the best opportunity for Simmons to play noteworthy minutes and get a bigger role in the system. Past interest from the Kings saw them initially wanting to trade Tyrese Haliburton for Simmons before they pulled off the trade for Sabonis instead. Simmons is in a situation where the team believes in him and has high hopes for redemption.
Kings Believe “Impressive” Ben Simmons Back To All-Star Level