Why Kings’ Ben Simmons signing is ‘great’ for Darius Acuff, per Draymond Green

Why Kings’ Ben Simmons signing is ‘great’ for Darius Acuff, per Draymond Green originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After a year away from the NBA, Ben Simmons has returned to the league on a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings.

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While the addition of the 30-year-old might not be a season-altering move for Sacramento, Warriors forward Draymond Green believes the signing could play a significant role in helping the Kings’ first-round 2026 NBA Draft selection Darius Acuff Jr.

“When I look at this signing, I think this is great for Darius Acuff,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show.” “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.

“This will take some of the pressure off Darius Acuff. If Ben Simmons isn’t playing well, people are going to want to point to Ben Simmons and say, ‘Hey, he’s not playing well,’ and if he is playing well, people are going to point to Ben Simmons and say, ‘Yo, look, he’s back.’ And so, I think this ultimately takes a lot of pressure off Darius Auff going into a Sacramento Kings situation that is not as great as one would like.”

The Kings finished the 2025-26 NBA season 22-60, but went 8-10 the final 18 games of the campaign to push themselves out of a top-five lottery spot.

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Sacramento selected Acuff with the No. 7 selection in the draft. With Russell Westbrook retiring, the Kings likely will slot Acuff into the starting point guard role and give him the keys to proverbial castle.

“I think this is a good move for Darius Auff that will allow some of the pressure to come off of Acuff and allow him to grow like rookies need to grow,” Green continued. “This is not the most ideal situation for a rookie to be in. Obviously, you got the ball alot. That could be good or bad, right? But, you know, this is a good move and I don’t think people will value this move enough.”

Simmons was the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year and played on three straight All-Star teams from 2018-2021 while with the Philadelphia…

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Publish date : 2026-09-09 14:22:00

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