Many of the complaints fans have about the Sacramento Kings roster come back to an overreliance on certain players over young stars. This was certainly true in their most recent loss to the Timberwolves, which saw Keon Ellis and Devin Carter inexplicably ride the bench the whole game.
The Kings faced off against the Timberwolves for the fourth time in the still-young 2025-2026 NBA season, possibly because whoever makes the schedule hates Sacramento. It was another loss, though at least it wasn't a complete blowout this time. You have to take pride in the little things.
Injuries definitely played a factor in this one. Both Domantas Sabonis and Drew Eubanks missed the game due to their own respective issues. To make matters worse, Zach LaVine had to leave the game early thanks to an ankle injury. It's too bad, as it was looking like he may have been on a heater.
Despite this, both Keon Ellis and Devin Carter remained on the bench. It was disappointing as the Kings needed their defense, not to mention support on offense with LaVine and Sabonis out. Fans have to be asking why Christie seems so reticent about his use of either player.
Ellis and Carter could be key players for the Kings
In the Kings' previous loss to the Nuggets, both Ellis and Carter got real minutes. Keon finished with eight points, two rebounds, four assists, one block, and four steals. Carter, on the other hand, collected 15 points, one rebound, and four assists. They made big contributions to the game.
What's frustrating about this is that both players are coming off relatively great performances against the Nuggets, only to be completely benched against the Wolves. Why not build on that? The Kings had three guys injured, including two starters, and still only played nine guys. That counts LaVine.
It's almost impossible to figure out what Doug Christie's strategy is. Both Keon Ellis and Devin Carter are considered tenacious defenders, which is supposedly Doug's focus. Yet, Christie seems to be actively avoiding using them at this point. Even good performances don't get them minutes.
Yes, the Kings need a rebuild. But they already have underutilized players on their roster who can help make things better now. It's enough of a concern that the Kings' organization should be asking if Doug Christie is the right coach to lead this team through such an important process.