Evaluating The Sacramento Kings Projected Rotation in 26-27

Matt George believes the Sacramento Kings have more players who deserve minutes than spots, creating a tricky bench puzzle for Doug Christie.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sep 11, 2026, 8:17 AM

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Doug Christie of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the...

Head coach Doug Christie of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on October 22, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Kings 120-116. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Sacramento Kings are still a few weeks away from training camp, and Sacramento’s rotation is fairly known, assuming no notable trades take place between now and media day at the end of September.

With an intriguing balance of younger and veteran players at various positions, who deserves regular minutes within head coach Doug Christie’s rotations?

Matt George dove into that topic on the latest episode of the Matt George Podcast on Sactown Sports, looking at the Kings’ improved depth, their bench depth, and which players could be fighting for consistent minutes once the season begins.

“Depth is never a bad thing, especially in the modern NBA,” George said.

“There are a lot of players on this roster that the Kings feel like should play, or that the Kings might want to play,” George continued. “But there are also players that have to play that might get in their way.”

Figuring out how to distribute minutes is a complicated part of any coach’s job, but the Kings are in a weird spot with how their roster is shaped.

George projected a starting five of Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, De’Andre Hunter, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis — the same unit most people are expecting to see on opening night barring health. That would leave a bench group that features Malik Monk, Ben Simmons, Maxime Raynaud, Precious Achiuwa, Nique Clifford, Dylan Cardwell, Emanuel Sharp, and Alex Karaban all competing for minutes.

That’s 13 players who have a solid case for a nightly spot in the rotation, but most teams struggle to get beyond 10/11 players consistently.

“In my mind, Malik Monk should be a part of the everyday rotation,” George said. “He should be the sixth man, the first guy off the bench.”

Monk’s role is especially interesting now that Simmons has signed with Sacramento. If Simmons was brought in to handle backup point guard responsibilities when Acuff is off the floor, that would allow Monk to play more naturally as a scoring guard and secondary creator.

“Ben Simmons is, at least from my understanding, here specifically, first and foremost, to handle the backup point guard responsibilities,” George said.

That changes the shape of the second unit, but it also creates its own questions. Simmons gives Sacramento size, defense and passing, but he also needs the right spacing around him. George said that will be one of Christie’s biggest challenges with this roster, and the frontcourt comes with its own complications.

Earning All-Rookie Second Team honors last season, Raynaud is one of their more intriguing young pieces outside of Acuff, but what his role will be with Sabonis back to healthy and requiring significant run.

“As long as Domantas Sabonis is here and is playing, I don’t know how Max fits in,” George said.

Raynaud’s value increases if Sabonis misses time or is moved at some point, but pairing the two together creates defensive limitations as both lack rim protection. That’s where Dylan Cardwell, headed into his second season after going undrafted out of Auburn, can help.

“Dylan Cardwell provides something better than anybody else on the team, which is rim protection that the Sacramento Kings desperately have needed,” George said.

Achiuwa gives them a more established frontcourt option. Cardwell gives them the best rim protection. Raynaud has the offensive upside, and Sabonis is the most proven player of the group by far as a former All-Star. While it could be complicated for Chrisite to sort through, having lineup optionality is a luxury.

“The Kings have options, which is good,” George said. “But the right options are determined by how the game is going or the specific matchup.”

The wing position gets crowded between Clifford, Murray, and Hunter. Rookies Karaban and Sharp are prospects who project as able to contribute sooner rather than later, but whose minutes would they reasonably take?

George does not expect Karaban to have a clear rotation spot right away unless he impresses in training camp and preseason but perhaps Sharp could appear sooner. Even if Monk blocks his cleanest path to minutes, George believes Sharp has already shown enough to make things interesting.

“I do believe that Emanuel Sharp is going to make it very difficult for Doug Christie not to play him pretty quickly,” George said.

That might be Sacramento’s best problem entering the season. The Kings have veterans who need to play, young players who need development and role players who each bring something different. Christie’s job is figuring out which combinations optimize their chances of winning games.

“It’s good that there are so many question marks because it’s good that there’s that much competition for playing time,” George said.

While Sacramento’s depth isn’t as impressive as true contenders around the association, they have an intriguing roster that features players in their prime and young talents they want to continue developing for the future.

Listen to all episodes of Sactown Sports’ The Matt George Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and watch each episode on SactownSports.com, the Sactown Sports app, or the Sactown Sports YouTube page.