Ben Simmons played in an NBA game for the first time in 529 days on Saturday night, and the most interesting thing that happened afterward came from the opposing coach.
Simmons, 30, started at power forward for Sacramento and finished with seven points on 2-of-4 shooting and 3-of-4 from the line, plus an assist, in nine minutes. Golden State won 111-106 at Chase Center.
What Kerr Actually Said
“I wish him well,” Steve Kerr told reporters after the game. “I hope he has a really successful comeback.”
Then the line that landed: “He’s a good testament to perseverance, coming back and giving another shot. I love that.”
There is no version of the last four years in which Simmons has been treated generously by anyone with a microphone. He became shorthand for a player who could not or would not shoot, then shorthand for a contract nobody wanted, then shorthand for a career that ended quietly. Kerr declined to pile on, which costs him nothing and is still more than most have offered.
The Kings Are Paying Him Almost Nothing
Sacramento signed Simmons to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million this offseason. It has been reported as non-guaranteed, with roughly $1 million actually at stake.
That is the deal of a player auditioning rather than a player being counted on. It is also exactly the right structure. Simmons at 30, coming off back trouble that cost him a season and a half, is a reasonable bet at a million dollars and an unreasonable one at ten.
Nine minutes and seven points is not a comeback. It is a data point that says the body held up for nine minutes.
The Rookies Stole the Night
Yaxel Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick, went for 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Golden State. Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 pick, had a game-high 25 points and eight assists.
Brandin Podziemski added 14 for the Warriors. On a night when the Simmons story was the reason anybody tuned in, two first-year guards were the best players on the floor.
What Sacramento Needs From Him
Not scoring. The Kings do not need Simmons to average 14 points, and he is not going to.
They need a 6-foot-10 defender who can switch across four positions and move the ball in the half court for 15 minutes a night. If that player exists at 30 and healthy, Sacramento found the best value contract of the offseason. If he does not, the Kings owe him a million dollars and move on in December.
The Honest Read
Simmons has been written off more times than almost any player of his generation, and most of those write-offs were earned. He is also an All-Defensive-caliber athlete who is still 30 years old and has decided to try again at the league minimum.
Kerr is right that it is worth respecting. Whether it works is a separate question, and nine minutes does not answer it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.