The Kings starting line-up is an absolute travesty and it’s time to attack

On Monday night, Sacramento Kings came out and were competitive with the Denver Nuggets on the road. But they ended up suffering a 130-124 loss, dropping them to 2-5 on the season. Their offseason signings were very productive; Russell Westbrook had his best game of the season, dropping 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Dennis Schroeder added 18 points and nine assists.

On an individual level, there is no doubt that this Kings team has some talent. Domantas Sabonis, the team’s max contract starcan fill the stat sheets like few others. DeMar DeRozan is a killer in crunch time, while Zach LaVine thrives on rebounding while being an athletic threat from all three points on the court.

But the Kings didn’t seem to have the proper roster structure in mind when they assembled this team. They started to sign Schroder to a three-year, $45 million contract so they would have a floor general after the De’Aaron Fox trade. But then they added Westbrook to the mix — with Malik Monk still on the roster. They even drafted a quarterback in 2024 in Devin Carter, and still have Keon Ellis on the team.

Those guards are on the same roster with DeRozan, someone who needs the ball, and LaVine, someone who commands touches. Even Sabonis needs the ball, because he excels at running off the dribble against guys who can either go downhill, stop on a dime and pull up for midrange shots like Fox did, or someone who can quickly make threes off the catch.

This lack of a coherent plan to build the roster dooms the Kings. Things could be better when Keegan Murray returns. But it’s time for them stop the delusion and start the tankas suggested by ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel.

The Kings starting lineup makes no sense

The Kings starting lineupwhen healthy, it should consist of Schroeder, Lavina, DeRozan, Murray and Sabonis. While it’s nothing groundbreaking, it’s at least a more functional and cohesive starting lineup than what they’re currently working with. Westbrook has been a positive for the Kings, no doubt, but this lineup construction isn’t going to lead to too many wins.

For starters, there are so many among their current front five who need the ball to thrive. Schroder has improved his three-point shooting, but is at his best when he can go downhill. DeRozan seems solid in the mid-range, and doesn’t provide much value off the ball considering he’s both a small-volume, low-accuracy three-point shooter.

As of this writing, he’s shooting just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc, which isn’t ideal for someone the team isn’t counting on to be their primary ball handler.

And then there’s Sabonis, who is increasingly marginalized in the team’s offense. Its influence is more muted than ever; through his first five games of the season, he averaged 14.8 points and 3.8 assists per game, numbers that would be his lowest in a full season since 2018-19 (when he was still a non-starter) if they hold.

Not getting the best out of Sabonis to accommodate others seems very counterintuitive for the Kings. They decided to build around Sabonis, especially when they gave him a big contract extension, and he’s under contract through the 2027-28 campaign. They traded Tyrese Halliburton for him. Seeing him take a backseat just so Schroder, Westbrook and DeRozan can get theirs is a huge waste and a misprioritization.

Sacramento’s defense is bad

At the time of writing, the Kings’ defense ranks 27th in terms of defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). It was always going to be difficult for the Kings to build an average defense around Sabonis, but their lineup choices made that impossible. Schroder and Westbrook can contain dribble penetration, and Westbrook can slide up and guard bigger ball handlers. But LaVine and DeRozan don’t offer much resistance on that side of the floor, and Sabonis’ lateral and vertical limitations cap his defensive ceiling.

The Kings’ defense ranked 24th during their magical 2022-23 campaign. But their offense came first. This year, their offense is ranked 18th, so it’s not like they’ve been very good on that end of the floor to warrant starting alongside players who don’t work well together.

Ellis and Carter could be better with little usagedefensively oriented players who can bypass Sabonis. Murray provides defensive versatility. Maybe Nikue Clifford could contribute on defense. But the lack of rim protection and soft wing defenses will inevitably spell disaster for the Kings.

Clogged backfield — time to use a clip

Again, the Kings have Schroeder, Westbrook, Monk, Ellis and Carter battling for minutes in the backcourt. No team needs this many rotating players in the backfield. Meanwhile, they have so many question marks on the wings, while their center depth is truly terrible.

It makes sense why The Kings wanted to move on from Monk and Carter because they wanted to bring in Jonathan Cummings during the offseason. They even wanted to move Monk in sign and trade with the Detroit Pistons for Schroeder.

Sacramento should revisit the trade market to begin plugging the backcourt logjam.

Stop denying and start fighting

Unlike other poorer teams (such as the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns), these Kings own all of their future first-round picks. This should at least give them the freedom to push themselves. But under this ownership group, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to some of the moves they make. This is a shame considering how it looked like they had it figured out in 2022 and 2023, only to have it all fall apart at the seams.

Everything Kings have to worry is a pick swap with the San Antonio Spurs (Why in the world do the Spurs own the swap rights even though they were the team acquired by Fox? How does that make sense?) in 2031.

Alas, how much interest will there be for the Kings’ best players? Sabonis’ limitations as a star are very clear. DeRozan could be a welcome acquisition for a team in need of a scoring boost, but his lack of floor space requires teams to construct a specific team to fit him without sacrificing quality NBA basketball.

LaVine’s contract scared off so many teams that the Chicago Bulls must be relieved to get him off the books. Schröder recently signed a new contract. Westbrook isn’t exactly a hot commodity in the NBA, though he’s still productive, if his extended stay in free agency is any indication. The Kings were unable to trade Monk during the offseason even though he was very available.

Of course, the Kings have to blow him up and the tank. But is there even a realistic way for them to do so? Suffice to say, Sacramento is stuck in mediocrity, for better or for worse — which, unfortunately, seems to be where this front office wants this team to be.