Kings' FA Signing Simmons Speaks on Benefit of Taking Last Year Off

The Sacramento Kings made one of the surprise moves of the offseason after making minimal moves early on, signing former NBA Rookie of the Year forward Ben Simmons to a one-year deal.

Simmons, who has had a rocky career since his early heydays with the Philadelphia 76ers, decided to take last year away from the NBA.

Back issues and lingering injuries hampered Simmons over the past few seasons, which he spoke on following his preseason debut with the Kings.

"I just think for myself, I needed it [the break]," Simmons said. "People can say what they want about not wanting to play this and that and the third, but I needed to get away from the game, I needed to get my back right, to be able to play this game at a high level."

While Simmons was away, he took up a new endeavor - fishing, serving as controlling owner of the South Florida Sails, a competitive team in the Sport Fishing Championship (SFC).

Not only was Simmons able to recover physically, but the ability for him to pursue another passion and get away from the limelight likely benefited his mental.

"The one thing people kept saying to me was it's going to be hard to get back," Simmons said. "And I was fine with that, but I also know what I'm able to give the game. So taking that year off was the best thing I've done in my career."

Since returning to the NBA, the Kings have reportedly been very impressed with Simmons, with most reports indicating he may find his way into the starting five on opening night.

At media day, Simmons comments made noise around social media, as he talked about expanding his arsenal and focusing on dominating when he is on the floor.

When asked about if he believes he can return to his prime form, Simmons responded that he is already there, adding that he "woke up."

While getting back to All-NBA level is a far-fetched goal for Simmons at this point of his career, he will definitely add value to some of the Kings' weakest areas.

Defensively, Simmons has averaged 1.5 steals per game, while displaying versatility on that end of the floor.

With the 76ers, Simmons earned two All-Defensive First Team nods, defending bigs and guards at a high level.

On offense, Simmons will give Sacramento another offensive initiator and playmaker, as the 6-foot-10 point forward has averaged 7.2 assists per game over his career.

With talented scorers like Malik Monk and Nique Clifford on the bench unit, Simmons' playmaking ability will be a big boost and allow them to get open shots on the perimeter.

With the NBA regular season starting next week, it will be interesting to see if Simmons does indeed sneak his way into head coach Doug Christie's first five.