The Sacramento Kings have a promising young core that projects to struggle to find its place in a veteran-heavy rotation. It's an unfortunate reality that the front office has created for itself with its polarizing roster decisions over the past 12-to-15 months.
Sacramento has the option to resolve the issue itself, but it must be willing to prioritize the youth movement in equal measure to the veterans' ambition.
The Kings have a star-studded rotation with with the likes DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and Russell Westbrook. They also have two productive guards in Malik Monk and Dennis Schröder who are in separate stages of their respective athletic primes.
In theory, Sacramento can consider itself to be in a strong position with six players who are productive as scorers and playmakers.
The context that the Kings will attempt to combat is that all six of the aforementioned players need the ball in their hands to play their best. They've also historically been rated somewhere in the range of subpar and average on the defensive end of the floor.
The younger players on the roster are perfectly suited to answer the call, but it's unclear if they'll actually be empowered to do so in 2025-26.
Kings must empower younger players to play meaningful minutes
With Keon Ellis and Kris Murray, the Kings have a pair of proven two-way players who can space the floor, defend multiple positions, and offer reliable value on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, they also have a young piece in Murray who was struggling to receive touches before the veteran influx.
Ellis, meanwhile, is in a position of uncertainty as his minutes continue to dwindle during the preseason and his place in a veteran-heavy rotation becomes more difficult to decipher.
Nique Clifford, meanwhile, has been a standout player for Sacramento at Summer League and during the preseason. The regular season will test his mettle, but there are obvious reasons for optimism in regard to his size, skill set, and two-way potential as a player.
Compounded by the presence of 2024 lottery pick Devin Carter, the Kings have no less than four promising players with untapped potential who should be getting considerable playing time.
Unfortunately, Sacramento hasn't exactly equipped head coach Doug Christie with the type of roster that permits the prioritization of internal development. Schröder and Westbrook will be competing for minutes at point guard, and DeRozan, LaVine, and Monk all project to play major minutes at the 2 and 3 spots.
It's possible that the Kings will find a way to shock the masses and turn their veteran-heavy rotation into a postseason appearance, but they may be sacrificing the future in the process.
Clifford and Ellis could be invaluable 3-and-D wings who act as the bridge between the Kings' offensive players, but it's unclear if consistent touches and minutes will be made available to them. Murray will start once he returns from surgery on a UCL tear, but he attempted fewer shots in more minutes between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The Kings have a far more balanced roster than critics are letting on, but they'll only realize their potential in that regard if they empower the younger players—even if it's at the expense of the veterans.