Ever since the Sacramento Kings decided to sign Ben Simmons, he has been the main topic of conversation surrounding the team. At the Kings' media day, neither Simmons nor head coach Doug Christie shied away from the conversation. And both seem ready to take on a new season in Sactown.
Simmons' career has been a less of a road through the NBA so much as a goat path filled with holes that disappeared into the tall grass. He lost a good chunk of his career to injuries. Arguably worse was losing his mental game. Even when he was healthy, Simmons just couldn't ball anymore.
That's why he took a year away from professional basketball to heal his body and do his best to get his mind right. Now, the league is only a few days away from seeing Simmons return to an NBA court when the preseason starts. But before that, he has to get through media day and training camp.
Both Simmons and Christie brought the confidence
Recently, Simmons got up in front of the media for the first time in a Kings' jersey. He looked comfortable, confident, and ready to go. That's exactly what fans want to see from him. When asked what his goals are for his return season, he kept his answer incredibly simple.
"To dominate."Ben Simmons
It's been a minute since the league has seen a truly confident Simmons who is settled into his role. That might acutally be the version of him the Kings are going to get this season. Christie is equally confident in Simmons, and is happy with what he's seeing.
"He looks fantastic. Everything that I’ve seen so far is pulling in the right direction and pushing in the right direction."Doug Christie
To be fair, there are a lot of people who have far more questions about Christie's coaching than they do Simmons on the court. For those people, the proof is in the game and not in Christie's words. What everyone needs is to see Simmons actually playing, not on media day.
Saying the right things only matters if you do the right things
What fans have heard from Christie, Simmons, and even general manager Scott Perry is exactly what they want to hear. None of that matters if Simmons doesn't deliver for the Kings in whatever way they need him to. Fortunately, the bar for success is rather low at this point.
The main reason he's on the team is to backup Darius Acuff Jr. at point guard. All Simmons really needs to do is stay healthy enough to play 10 minutes a game to give Acuff a breather or two. Everything else after that is pretty much just a bonus for the Kings.
Honestly, the pressure on Simmons could get even less if Sacramento ends up signing Elfrid Payton and/or Tristen Newton. He should be able to succeed in this environment, as long as he keeps his mind and body in the game. If his shot comes back, even better.
