Lineup Previews for the Sacramento Kings: Time to Embrace Small-Ball

With the Sacramento Kings’ roster set for the regular season (barring major trades), it’s time to start looking at which lineups will share the court together.

There are nine new faces on the Sacramento Kings’ roster, so expect a lot of tinkering with lineups in the early part of the season. I discarded positions for this exercise and will do so in future articles as the NBA moves towards positionless basketball.

We’ll begin with a small-ball lineup that combines experience along with two of the first-round picks from the 2017 NBA Draft.

The Lineup:

George Hill, De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Justin Jackson, and Willie Cauley-Stein.

The Sacramento Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein (00) picks up a rebound against the Phoenix Suns at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. (Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee/TNS via Getty Images) /

At first glance, you will see a team that is bound to get dominated on the boards with four guards and wings on the court, but I’d trust Willie Cauley-Stein to clean up the glass while the rest of the team crashes with him. There is only a handful of back-to-the-basket players left in the NBA and you rarely see teams equip two of them simultaneously.

Defensive Potential

The defense is why this small-ball lineup excites me. The potential of this unit to defend the perimeter is outstanding. George Hill is known for his on-ball defense against lead guards, and De’Aaron Fox comes into the league as a competitive, in-your-face defender. These two can take turns defending an opponent’s top ball handler. Also, Justin Jackson can guard positions one through four in the modern NBA and has the combination of length and foot quickness to develop into a defensive asset.

A trio of Hill, Fox, and Jackson is as good as a perimeter defensive trio the Kings can put together, and having Cauley-Stein protecting the rim allows them to be more aggressive on the ball.

SACRAMENTO, CA – JUNE 24: The Sacramento Kings 2017 Draft Picks De’Aaron Fox and Justin Jackson are tuned to social media at a press event on June 24, 2017, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, the user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Offensive Potential

This unit would have maximum floor spacing on the offensive end with four players capable of handling the ball. Fox and Hill could trade off running the offense, but placing the ball in Fox’s hands takes away his limited spot-up shooting ability. Fox running pick-and-rolls with Cauley-Stein with three shooters drawing defenders out of the paint is a potent offense for the Kings.

It helps that all three players can attack closeouts and are experienced enough to read the defense and make the right decisions. Throw in a rim runner like Cauley-Stein, who is pegged for a breakout season, and this lineup would be successful in the modern NBA.

Must Read: Sacramento Kings: How Not To Mess Up A Rebuild

Final Thoughts

That concludes our first lineup I’d like to see coach Dave Joerger deploy during this season. I will try to incorporate as many players as possible into these lineup ideas but will stick to the rotational players destined for more minutes. Thanks for checking it out!

Home/Kings News