2 Kings who need more minutes, 1 who needs fewer down the stretch

With 20 games left in the regular season, we have officially reached its most important stretch. These last few games will decide the Kings’ postseason journey. Right now, they are in seventh place in the West and with that a play-in team. 

The other teams in that territory are the Mavericks, the Warriors, and the Lakers. Sacramento just got a huge win over the Lakers, but LeBron James is not someone you want to face in a single-elimination game. Neither is Stephen Curry or Luka Doncic. 

The Kings would love to avoid the play-in and to do that, they have to play their best basketball. So, let’s look at two players who need more minutes and one who needs fewer down the stretch. 

Malik Monk needs more minutes

This is a simple issue of playing your best players as much as possible. Malik Monk has been fantastic as the Kings’ sixth man and one of their most productive players despite coming off the bench. He is one of the team’s most dynamic scorers and passers. 

The duo of Monk and De’Aaron Fox forms a terrifying offensive backcourt and that is exactly what the Kings need. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Monk should start but rather that Coach Mike Brown shouldn’t fall back into the pattern of playing Monk for less than 30 minutes. 

He has played 30 or more minutes in all four games in March, but before that, it only happened 13 times. Monk’s energy and confidence are contagious, and the Kings need it on the court.