The Sacramento Kings have no shortage of big men on the roster, which made their pursuit of Jalen Duren a little confusing. It seems that Doug Christie is embracing his team's size as he ran multiple double big lineups, a strategy that has the potential to be huge for the Kings this season.
Going into their first preseason game against the Lakers, most of the Kings' roster was available to play. Only Malik Monk, Ben Simmons, and Keegan Murray didn't suit up as the coaches chose to rest them, which makes sense in two of those three cases. One of them was was more than a little odd.
That left an opening in the starting five for Precious Achiuwa to fill as the power forward. With Domantas Sabonis at center, the duo formed the first of two double big lineups. The second such lineup made it's first appearance in the when the Kings made a major substitution of several players.
At that point, Maxime Raynaud took the court as the power forward and Dylan Cardwell became the center. They certainly didn't find their rhythm right away, but played really well together once they got rolling. This is a sign of the kind of size Christie is ready to put on the court this season.
Sacramento is going big, or going home
Having four solid centers on the roster, three of whom can also play power forward, gives Christie a lot of potential double big combinations. That's going to be important, particularly when Sabonis is on the court. The other bigs will definitely have to help him out on defense from time to time.
It also gives Darius Acuff more options as he settles into his role as the primary point guard. Having a variety of bigs to work with, each of whom has their own distinct skill sets, offers different opportunities for floor spacing, facilitation, and scoring. It's a smorgasbord of opportunities.
Now, add into that the impact running double-big lineups will have on players who are on the court to score. Nique Clifford took full advantage of the spacing offered by this strategy to have one of his most productive games as a pro. That will help other shooters who need room to work.
With the roster they have at the moment, leaning into the size makes a lot of sense. It builds on the team's strengths while offsetting some individual weaknesses. Plus, it gives rookies and sophomores a chance to really work together on the court to build connections and develop together.
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