Ben Simmons entered the NBA in 2016 as one of the most highly-touted prospects in recent memory and he has won the Rookie of the Year and earned two All-Star selections in his career, but a series of injuries led to his decline and he ultimately has been out of basketball since the end of the 2024-25 season.
But Simmons is working on a comeback and recently worked out in a private session with the Sacramento Kings where reports said that he looked good, so a return to the floor could be in the cards for Simmons as soon as this upcoming season, so a handful of teams across the league looking to finish their rosters will likely be monitoring his situation.
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If the Denver Nuggets aren’t already one of the teams doing that, they need to be. Simmons, while a gamble, is everything that the Nuggets need in a player right now.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) moves to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers guard Ben Simmons (25) during the first half of game three in the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
For starters, Denver is desperately in need of point guards to play behind Jamal Murray considering the current backup options on the roster are Tyus Jones, who played less than nine minutes per game last season, and K.J. Simpson, who’s on a two-way contract and spent more time in the G-League last season than he did in the NBA.
Those simply cannot be the Nuggets’ best options coming off the bench at point guard when the begins and they’ve already missed on some other prospective guards like Brandon Williams, who signed with the Golden State Warriors rather than the Nuggets earlier in the offseason.
Philadelphia 76ers guardBenSimmons(25) warms up before game against the DenverNuggetsat Wells Fargo Center. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
They don’t have many other good options left in free agency and being the team that takes a chance on Simmons, who at one time looked like he could be one of the best point guards in the NBA, would be a huge chance to address their gap in the roster.
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But Simmons does add more than simply being a warm body to play the one on the floor. During his early heights, Simmons added a thrilling mix of offense and defense, earning Defensive Player of the Year votes early in his career and making the defensive first-team in back-to-back seasons.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) passes the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Nuggets, as capable as they are offensively, are not a strong defensive team. They were 21st in opponent scoring last season and 25th in opponent field goal attempts. IF Simmons is able to even approach the level of play of his early seasons and leverage his 6’10 build to his advantage, he would go a long way in fixing up the shoddy Denver defense.
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Taking Simmons on is inherently a risk; He hasn’t played in over a year and was on steep decline before that.
But the Nuggets don’t have a lot of options and with Murray and Nikola Jokic headlining the team, Denver could be the perfect environment for Simmons to make his way back to the court and help the Nuggets win in the process.