Ben Simmons Should Have “No Expectations”, Says NBA Champion Amid Controversial Return

Five years ago, Ben Simmons was an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year finalist. One possession away from a wide-open dunk that instead became the most infamous pass-up in recent NBA playoff history.

Now, on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, Simmons is suddenly being talked about in All-Star terms again. Appearing on ESPN Australia's The Aussie Hoops Hour podcast, 2016 NBA champion Richard Jefferson was asked what expectations should surround Simmons heading into his Kings debut.

"I think you should have no expectations," Jefferson said. "There are certain [things in] basketball, just like many other sports — as much as it is physical, it is mental."

Jefferson didn't stop. He went on to make a much bolder claim about what Simmons is still capable of if things break right this season.

"Ben's always had the talent. Ben has the talent to be an All-Star this year," Jefferson said. "If Ben goes and has the best season, he's healthy, his back is right, he has the talent to be an All-Defensive player, to be a Defensive Player of the Year-level talent because he can guard one through five positions."

In his last action, split between Brooklyn and the Clippers in 2024-25, Simmons averaged just 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists over 22 minutes a night, shooting an efficient 52 percent from the field but rarely looking like a difference-maker.

He then sat out the entire 2025-26 season rehabbing back and leg injuries before Sacramento. Fresh off Russell Westbrook's retirement, he signed to a non-guaranteed veteran-minimum deal this offseason.

Jefferson's comments didn't sit well with much of the NBA fanbase. Clips of the prediction spread quickly, drawing responses questioning whether the take was rooted in reality at all, with one widely shared reaction going so far as suggesting Jefferson should be "banished from having takes" after the segment aired.

Simmons has been rebuilding his confidence in practice and shooting the ball. Even if the three-point shot still isn't part of his game plan.

Simmons also went through an extensive evaluation process with Sacramento. It included medical exams, an on-court workout for general manager Scott Perry, and meetings with head coach Doug Christie, all signs the organization is at least doing its own due diligence before leaning on him for a real role.

Between Jefferson's All-Star projection and the skepticism it triggered, the truth about Simmons' Kings tenure will only be settled on the court, not in a podcast studio.