Speaking on Monday with local journalists in The necklacesmedia day Ben Simmons said the decision to sit out last season and allow his surgically repaired back to fully heal was the best decision he could have made in his career, adding that there was a “night and day” difference in his mental health since he was last on an NBA roster. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
“I haven’t touched a ball in a year” Simmons said. “I didn’t watch basketball. I just focused on getting my body and mind right. I knew when I was ready to go, it would click, and that’s what happened. I missed the game a lot, but it’s hard to do that when you’re not physically right.”
Simmons, who also missed his rookie season in 2016/17 with a foot injury and the entire 2021/22 campaign with hamstring and back problems, made it clear that his latest break from basketball was all about getting his body in order. He aggressively pushed back against the notion that he wasn’t passionate about the game.
“It’s not about whether I wanted to play,” he said. “All these people talking about how I don’t love the game. That’s a lie. I love the game. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have spent this year to focus on myself and get back to where I am.”
Simmons’ minimum-salary deal with the Kings isn’t guaranteed, but the three-time All-Star has high expectations for himself this season. He told reporters that he feels like he used to and that his goal is to “dominate” when he’s on the floor (Link to video on Twitter via James Hamm of The Kings Beat).
Here are some more highlights from the Western Conference:
- Former #1 overall pick Zion Williamson made a pair of All-Star teams since entering the NBA in 2019, but Pelicans didn’t win a playoff series during that time and finished below .500 in five of seven years in the league. The forward admitted at Media Day on Monday that his career hasn’t turned out the way he had hoped. “I’m not where I want to be” Williamson said, trans Brett Martel of the Associated Press. “I’m not where I should be.” He hopes to start changing that in 2026/27. Head of the basketball department Joe Dumars Williamson said is in “immaculate” conditionand the new head coach Jamal Mosley said the 26-year-old is receptive to ideas on how to expand his game, according to Martel. “The challenge for him that we want to put on his plate is how do you make your teammates better?” Mosley said. “Can you continue to expand your game to not just be predictable in what you’re going to do every night?”
- Ja Morant‘s fit in Portland is one of the biggest questions that will determine how Trail Blazersthe season ends Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (subscription required), writes in his recap of Monday’s media day. For what it’s worth, Morant indicated he’d be open to a backup role if that’s what the head coach wants Mika Nori solves (Link to video on Twitter via SportsCenter). “I think winning is the most important thing for me, so whatever role I have to play to achieve that.” Morant said Monday. “… If I start, if I don’t, it’s the same. … I don’t have a problem with either.”
- The Grizzlies hired Julius Thomas as an assistant coach, writes Jonah Dillon of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Thomas, 29, previously worked under the head coach of the Grizzlies. Tuomas Iisala overseas with Telekom Baskets Bonn in Germany and Paris Basketball in France and finished last season as interim head coach of Paris Basketball. “He will work mainly in attack as my right-hand man,” – said Iisalo. “He has extensive knowledge of this system.”
