The idea of Ben Simmons in Sacramento makes sense.It’s a low-risk, one-year, $3.5 million deal that brings a unique skill set to a roster in need of more talent. The Kings will be Simmons’ fourth team, his third since his last All-Star selection.It’s why I cringe at the suggestion that Simmons is being added as a mentor to the youngest Kings. Simmons doesn’t need that pressure.The first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, Simmons is a three-time All-Star and, at his best, was one of the NBA’s best passers and defenders.Simmons hasn’t been an All-Star in more than five years, and hasn’t even been in the NBA since the end of the 2024-25 season. If he rediscovers a semblance of his top form, the Kings should be ecstatic. It would be one of the great redemption stories in sports.Still, the Kings would be smart to proceed with caution. This isn’t Simmons, the first pick in the draft. This is a player trying to earn a spot in the rotation on a team that is in the midst of another rebuild.This season is about the Kings doing everything possible to set up Darius Acuff Jr. for success. Surrounding the 19-year-old with veterans who help the rookie point guard’s development is paramount to the Kings’ future.Darius Acuff Jr. is ‘massive win’ for Sacramento KingsZach Harper and CJ MooreI’d be careful expecting Simmons to be a mentor to Acuff or any of the young Kings. Teams often look for veterans who can guide their young players. It’s not a bad idea, especially if that veteran is in a good place mentally and open to the role. Had the Kings retained Russell Westbrook, who they reportedly had interest in bringing back before he announced his retirement, he would have been an ideal mentor.Given Simmons just sat out a season and has had his commitment questioned for years, that’s not a role that fits him in Sacramento. He doesn’t need that leadership responsibility. He has to rediscover his game and dispel the idea that he doesn’t have passion for basketball, while also finding his way after last season’s sabbatical.Simmons is expected to back up Acuff, who was the seventh pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, at point guard. Simmons’ versatility also allows him to play multiple positions, and he could help the Kings in the frontcourt as a playmaker, rebounder and defender.But there’s a reason a player as talented as Simmons was available for a team like Sacramento.Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists for the 76ers in 2020-21, his last All-Star season. Those were all career lows at the time. But the lowest point came in the playoffs, when he passed up an open dunk with 3:30 to play in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta. Teammate Matisse Thybulle was the recipient of the unexpected pass. He was fouled and made one of two free throws. Atlanta never relinquished the lead and eliminated the Sixers.After the loss, former Sixers coach Doc Rivers infamously said, “I don’t know the answer to that right now” when asked if Simmons could be the point guard for a championship team.A holdout and back injury kept Simmons out for the entire 2021-22 season, and he was traded to Brooklyn the following winter. After the Nets bought out Simmons in 2025, he signed with the LA Clippers, where he appeared in 18 regular-season games and averaged 8.4 minutes in five playoff contests.The way Simmons’ time in Philadelphia ended surfaced an old narrative in NBA circles that dates back to before he was drafted — that Simmons did not love playing basketball. His confidence was questioned (how does a 6-foot-10 player just not dunk?). Some wondered if he cared enough to improve. Simmons has only made five 3-pointers in his career (none since 2021) while only attempting 36, both of which are amazingly low for a primary ballhandler in the modern NBA. Some have wondered if he cares enough to adapt his game.Simmons admitted to mental health struggles that he didn’t want to divulge when he was traded to Brooklyn. He also addressed questions about his confidence in a lengthy profile in “Men’s Health” magazine.“So many people speak about confidence,” Simmons said. “If I was not confident, I would not get on the court again, I would not go to the Clippers, I wouldn’t play in Brooklyn. It’s health. It’s just being healthy.”Simmons discovered another passion away from basketball: Fishing. He purchased an ownership stake in the South Florida Sails Angling Club in December. The team won the Sport Fishing Championship Blue Marlin Open at Walker’s Cay in the Bahamas in May. Considering teams that are eliminated from the NBA playoffs are said to have “gone fishing,” the jokes wrote themselves.“I get comments every day and people laugh, or whatever it is, and put comments or whatever about fishing, and I’m like, ‘You don’t even know,’” he told The Athletic in December. “Like, I’m from Australia. I was born and raised Australian. I love being in the water.”Sacramento is the perfect situation for Simmons to prove he loves to be on the basketball court. There won’t be pressure to win like there was in Philadelphia or Brooklyn.Kings fans don’t need Simmons to be a star or a leader. They need Simmons to show passion. That will be enough to start the feel-good story.