Ben Simmons said he felt good in his NBA return against the Warriors on Saturday, stressing that he is "about the same player" he was a few years ago now that he is healthy, and adding that the game has slowed down for him with experience.
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Ben Simmons returned to an NBA court for the first time in more than a year on Saturday, making his Sacramento Kings preseason debut in a 111-106 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Simmons started and played just under nine minutes as Sacramento continued to manage his workload carefully. He finished with 7 points, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers and shot 2-of-4 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
"It felt really good," Simmons said after the game. "When you're out for a year and come back, it's a good feeling to just be out there and compete and get the first one out of the way.
"A lot of it is just being healthy and being able to do what I do, and also adding to that, being more aggressive," Simmons added. "I'm older now. I'm about the same player I was a few years ago, especially given that I'm healthy."
Simmons had last appeared in an NBA game during Game 5 of the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets in April 2025.
He then sat out the entire 2025-26 season before signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Sacramento in September.
"I felt good," he said on Saturday. "With the limited minutes, I felt good."
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Simmons confident after year-long absence
Despite the time away, Simmons believes his experience has made him a smarter player.
"The game has just slowed down a lot for me, and I see a lot more now," he said. "Having a lot of years under my belt, the game has slowed down for me, and I can make better decisions.
"Obviously, I haven't played in a year, but I still feel confident out there to make the right plays."
Simmons knew before Saturday's game that his first appearance would be brief, describing the return as the beginning of a gradual process.
"It's a buildup. It's part of this process that I'm going through," he noted. "Just being smart about it, but I feel great.
"I put in a lot of work to get back here, so it's just being smart about it," the Aussie continued. "Obviously, I haven't played in a year. This is my first time playing in a year.
"For me, it's just doing the right things and being smart about it, and building from there because it's going to be a long year."
Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and emerged as one of the league's most versatile players with the Philadelphia 76ers before multiple injuries disrupted his career.
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