Ben Simmons' NBA Comeback: Draymond Green's Take on His Value
Draymond Green has seen enough broken bodies and battered reputations in this league to know a comeback story when one walks through the door. So when Ben Simmons resurfaced on an NBA roster, the Golden State Warriors forward didn’t just nod in approval. He lit up.
On the latest episode of "The Draymond Green Show," the four-time champion made it clear: this return matters.
“Number one, I'm happy to see Ben Simmons back in the NBA,” Green said, framing Simmons not as a reclamation project, but as a rare talent the league hasn’t been able to enjoy for far too long.
Simmons, a three-time All-Star whose career has been derailed by persistent back issues and the weight of expectation, spent last season completely off the floor. No games. No cameos. Just rehab, reflection, and the uncertain quiet of unrestricted free agency.
He used that time to let his body finally catch up with his potential. Once the offseason hit, he went to work.
The 6-foot-10 guard held multiple workouts over the summer, grinding through sessions that clearly resonated with at least one front office. The Sacramento Kings watched, liked what they saw, and moved. They handed Simmons a one-year deal worth $3.5 million — a low-risk contract for a franchise that believes there is still real basketball left in him.
For Green, that’s the part that excites him: the chance to see that version of Simmons again.
“Simmons is a talent that — it doesn't grow on trees and we also don't get the opportunity to see in the NBA every day,” he said, pointing straight at the gap between what Simmons was and what injuries turned him into.
The last three seasons tell that story. In 2021-22, Simmons didn’t play at all because of back problems that first surfaced during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers and never truly went away. Those issues didn’t just rob him of explosiveness. They gnawed at his confidence.
Green, who has battled his own physical setbacks, didn’t gloss over that part. He spoke about the mental toll that comes with chronic back pain, how it can erode not just a player’s body, but his belief in it. In Simmons’ case, Green sees a player trying to reclaim both.
“To see him get another opportunity, to see him excited,” Green said, adding that he’d recently spoken directly with Simmons. That excitement, he suggested, is as important as any medical clearance.
A Different Kind of Value in Sacramento
Sacramento isn’t signing Simmons to be a locker-room sage or a grizzled veteran voice. That’s not how the Kings are framing this move. They’re betting on his versatility, his size, his playmaking. Still, Green sees another layer to the deal — one that could shape the early days of a rookie’s career.
When he looks at the Kings’ roster, Green’s eyes go straight to Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 pick. To him, Simmons’ presence is a gift.
“When I look at this signing, I think this is great for Darius Acuff,” Green said. “You have a Ben Simmons who's eager to make it right, he's going to give you the game. And he's going to work his ass off. I think this is great for Darius Acuff. Let's face it, Ben Simmons is Ben Simmons.”
That’s the crux of Green’s argument. A motivated Simmons, hungry to rewrite his narrative, becomes more than just a rotation piece. He becomes a live, daily tutorial for a young guard trying to find his way in a league that punishes hesitation.
Simmons has always seen the floor like a point guard, defended like a forward, and attacked space like a downhill wing. If even part of that returns, Acuff gets to study it up close — how to read a defense, how to initiate offense without always needing to score, how to impact a game when the shot isn’t falling.
Green also pointed to another, quieter benefit: attention.
The Australian star has carried a spotlight, and at times a storm cloud, since he entered the league. In Sacramento, that follows him into the building. Green believes that can shield Acuff in his first year, taking some of the early heat off the rookie while he adjusts.
With Simmons in the room, every missed shot or rough night from Acuff doesn’t have to become a headline. The rookie can grow at his own pace while the league’s gaze gravitates toward the former All-Star trying to climb back.
Simmons still has everything to prove — to the Kings, to the league, to himself. But in Green’s eyes, that’s exactly why this version of Ben Simmons might be the most dangerous one yet, and why a young guard in Sacramento could end up being the quiet winner of his comeback.
