Throughout the preseason, the Sacramento Kings were criticized by many for not playing Ben Simmons enough. Considering he's now out for another year with a torn Achilles, maybe they should have rested him more. It's enough to make you wonder if Simmons will ever be able to play again.
When the Kings signed Simmons back after more than a year's absence from the NBA, there were a lot of questions and concerns. His long history of injuries and extensive amount of time missed made bringing him in kind of a risk. That being said, there's a reason he was worth a shot.
Simmons is top-tier talent when he's healthy. When he's on the court, he's borderline unstoppable. For a franchise like Sacramento that's looking to rebuild, having that kind of talent around could have been a game-changer for them. That most certainly is not how it worked out.
He sustained a torn Achilles in practice before the regular season even began. Now, Simmons will be on the shelf for at least another year. There was no way of knowing this would happen. At the same time, Simmons suffering another serious injury was still a major concern among fans and critics.
How do the Kings and Simmons comeback from here?
The road back for Simmons from this injury will be his hardest one yet. He has made multiple big returns to the NBA after long absences, which is amazing. Yet, he'll inevitably reach a point where teams no longer want to take a chance on him. Honestly, he's likely hit that benchmark already.
For the Kings, the situation is equally complex. The CBA requires Sacramento to keep him under contract and continue paying him while he recovers. Given the extreme nature of his injury, the likelihood of him being available to the Kings this season is basically zero.
Over the next few months, Sacramento is going to ask if keeping Simmons around is still worth the risk. The reality is that every time he steps on the court is a roll of the dice, and it comes up snake-eyes all too often. The Kings may decide to make a move if they can find someone interested.
Sacramento needs this rebuild to work, which is a long-term proposition. They could wait for Simmons to heal up and try this again in 2027-2028. That's assuming he doesn't get injured. The Kings need players without question marks above their heads every time they hit the court.
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