1. Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, Davion Mitchell, Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis
This lineup has not played too much time together this month because it is risky offensively. Davion Mitchell, Keon Ellis, and Keegan Murray can all be effective contributors offensively but they also tend to be a little passive at times.
None of them consistently look for their shot every game and if all three are passive at the same time, things get rough. Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk can both put up big numbers offensively, but having three passive offensive players around them puts a lot of pressure on the duo.
Murray is definitely moving in the right direction but so far this lineup doesn’t look like a consistent option. It only works when someone other than Sabonis and Monk is active offensively or when Mike Brown wants his team to lock down defensively and muck up the game.
In March, this lineup has posted an 81.3 defensive rating so far, absolutely killing it on that end of the floor. Between Ellis, Mitchell, and Murray, there is plenty of defensive talent and physicality on the court, even though the lineup is rather undersized.
The fact that Brown can play Ellis and Mitchell at the same time now really shows how far both have come and the kind of faith he has in them. Especially Ellis has been on quite the journey this season, and his defensive activity has been the catalyst for the Kings’ surge on the defensive end.
It has only been 12 games and not even a full month yet, so, while this change is very exciting, the Kings still have to prove that they can keep it up for a longer stretch of time.