Taking a look at Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons ahead of the 2026 season.
The Sacramento Kings made a few moves this offseason that could help this team to take a step forward heading into 2026.
On that note, one of the more intriguing moves the Kings made was signing veteran guard Ben Simmons on a one-year $3.5 million deal. With that said, let's take a look at Simmons career thus far and what he could bring to Sacramento this season.
First, looking at Simmons' college career, he played for the LSU Tigers for the 2015 season, in a year when he played like one of the best players in the entire country.
At LSU, he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 blocks, and two steals per game. With the Tigers, Simmons showed the ability to play very well on both ends which no doubt helped his draft stock significantly.
In terms of efficiency, Simmons shot 56 percent from the field which was great but he did have some issues at the free-throw line as he shot 67 percent, and for threes, Simmons did not take a ton as that is a part of his game, but he did shoot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Overall, Simmons showcased his strong skill set at LSU very well, which led him to declare for the 2016 NBA Draft, and in that draft, he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Simmons did have some solid seasons with the 76ers, then he ended up moving on to play for the Brooklyn Nets for a few years, and then he played for the Los Angeles Clippers for part of a season.
For Simmons NBA career, he has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game, which shows his ability to contribute on both ends of the floor.
As far as shooting splits go, Simmons has been solid from the field as he has shot 55.8 percent for his career, but he has had major issues from three as he has shot 13.9 percent for his career, as well as struggles from the free-throw line with his career free-throw percentage being 59. 2 percent.
When it comes to Simmons' career as a whole, he has been a solid player with his ability to get downhill to attack the rim, function as a playmaker, and provide consistent defense. However, his struggles to shoot the ball consistently from the perimeter and the free-throw line are two things that have limited his effectiveness at times.
With Simmons now playing for the Kings, he will most likely come off the bench, and with the shooting that Sacramento has overall, Simmons has the ability to lean on his strengths of ball handling, driving, and playmaking to maximize the other players on the floor offensively while limiting his weakness of shooting as well as playing great perimeter defense and providing versatility on the defensive end.
So, as the Kings prepare for training camp, it will be interesting to see how they deploy Simmons and the type of impact he can make for this team on both ends of the floor.
