When the Sacramento Kings signed Ben Simmons, he was supposed to be the main backup for starting point guard Darius Acuff Jr. With Simmons out of the picture, the Kings now need to restrategize what to do up front, and that means potentially signing one more player.
As everyone knows by now, Simmons sustained an Achilles tear in practice that will bench him for the entire season. That means his comeback after being away from basketball for a year was cut short at a couple of preseason games. Hopefully, he recovers and figures out what's next for him.
Now, the Kings face the reality of rethinking their season. Simmons had become their starting power forward, which moved Keegan Murray over to small forward and pushed De'Andre Hunter to the bench. There's an entirely different issue to sort out at point guard that has been hanging around.
The whole point of signing Simmons was to back up Acuff. After that changed, the Kings cut Elfrid Payton, someone who could have been a great backup. Now that Simmons is completely out of the picture, the Kings may have to reevaluate that choice and bring him back to Sacramento.
Backing up Acuff on the court
Even before cutting Payton, Sacramento had an open roster spot and more than enough payroll to sign him. It was a bit surprising when they didn't keep Payton around. He was a solid fit for the team, not to mention a good backup and mentor for Acuff. Keeping him around made sense this season.
As it stands right now, the Kings do have Malik Monk, who can play point guard off the bench. Plus, Sacramento was working with Nique Clifford in the preseason in that same role. The problem is that none of them are natural PGs and are overall better on the wings.
In the wake of Simmons' injury, the Kings have to consider using that last roster spot to sign Payton. He is a reliable, workhorse point guard who could not only support Acuff but could also keep the offense running when the rookie is off the court. He's exactly what the Kings need right now.
There are other point guards out there, but the Kings are already familiar with Payton. He played with the team through the preseason. That being said, if the Kings don't want to go this route, there are options. Sacramento just needs to step back and make a call of some kind.
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