With the NBA regular season just around the corner, teams are already facing setbacks they could hardly have planned for. Training camp and preseason scrimmages are supposed to help contenders build momentum, but injuries have already thrown two prominent Western Conference teams into uncertainty!
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For the Sacramento Kings, Ben Simmons’ latest attempt at a comeback has effectively come to an end. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are dealing with a scare of their own after Stephen Curry limped off the court in visible pain. Before the season has even begun, both situations serve as a reminder of how quickly an NBA team’s plans can unravel.
Heartbreak in Sacramento: Ben Simmons tears his right achilles tendon
The Kings came into Sunday’s practice with a lot of optimism, only to see that all disappear during the live scrimmage. Ben Simmons had a bad lower leg injury in the scrimmage. As per an official press release, the diagnosis was straight away and very bad.
“Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons was injured during a live drill in practice on Sunday, Oct. 18. An MRI revealed a torn right Achilles tendon. Simmons will undergo surgery,” it said.
Later, ESPN’s Shams Charania shared, “An MRI confirmed a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon for Ben Simmons. A devastating turn of events on the eve of his NBA return after rehabilitating from back surgeries.”
The timing is absolutely brutal for the 30-year-old former ROY and three-time All-Star.
Simmons had put together some solid pre-season minutes with the Kings. The Achilles tear came around the same time ESPN released their documentary ‘Being Ben’. The documentary details his journey through a string of back surgeries (the May 2022 microdiscectomy and the March 2024 nerve decompression).
However, Simmons has refused to give up after the recent injury.
“I’ve faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I’ve found a way through every single one of them. This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story,” Simmons wrote on his Instagram story.
“It’s never easy being away from the game I love, especially after everything it took to get back here. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that adversity doesn’t define you. How you respond to it does. I’ve been knocked down before, and I’ve always found a way to get back up. This time will be no different.”
Huge panic as Stephen Curry limps off during Warriors scrimmage
Right down the road in San Francisco at Chase Center during the Warriors’ open practice, a rather alarming scene took place. A video went viral on social media showing Steph Curry limping towards the tunnel after a scrimmage. He clearly looked in pain. The Warriors were just about to kick off their season with an evening game against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, and the footage naturally caused a great deal of concern.
The image caused a bit of a stir in terms of whether Curry might be suffering a repeat of the right knee issues that kept him out for 27 games with runner’s knee last season.
However, Warriors reporter Anthony Slater ended the concerns on X.
“It’s a right ankle tweak for Steph Curry and not knee, per team. Positive news for the Warriors.”
A team source described the ankle sprain as “not serious,” but again, no confirmation has been given as to Curry’s availability for the season opener.
Head coach Steve Kerr moved quickly to quell the panic in his post-practice media session, offering an initial breath of relief.
“I went and spoke to him in the training room, and he’s fine,” Kerr said. Despite Kerr’s reassurance, the medical staff is in a tricky risk management situation. Curry’s battle with ankle stability in his early days required surgery and a whole suite of lower-body protocols.
Ripple effects across the Western Conference
The sheer disparity in the severity of the injuries means both clubs are now facing immediate operational issues. For the Kings, Simmons’ injury effectively ends their low risk/high upside play-making experiment. It had clearly shown some genuine two-way potential in training camp. But Sacramento is now going to have to rework their perimeter depth chart without the facilitator they were counting on to bring back his all-star form.
For the Warriors, the margin for error is absolutely tiny. Their rotation is already stretched thin with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody out with knee injuries and Kristaps Porziņģis out with health issues.
If they go the cautious route and leave Curry out against the Lakers, then Kerr is going to be relying very heavily on the young ballhandlers in the rotation to create the shots. They’ll be supported by Draymond Green’s defensive presence.
For the Warriors, the margin for error is absolutely tiny. Their rotation is already stretched thin with Butler and Moody out with knee injuries and Porziņģis out with health issues.
If they go the cautious route and leave Curry out against the Lakers, then Kerr is going to be relying very heavily on the young ballhandlers in the rotation to create the shots. They’ll be supported by DraymondGreen’s defensive presence.