With Keegan Murray out injured, Precious Achiuwa stepped into the Sacramento Kings' starting lineup against the Grizzlies. The Kings didn't win, but Achiuwa performed well. It was a reminder of what he brings to the court on both offense and defense, proving he should be a permanent starter.
In the wake of Ben Simmons' season-ending injury, a gap was created in the starting five at power forward. The Kings decided to keep Murray at small forward. De'Andre Hunter took over for Simmons and was predictably meh at the job. He's not exactly lighting the other teams up in any capacity.
Unfortunately, Murray is already out with issues. He reportedly tweaked the same ankle he had surgery on over the summer during the Kings' game with the Blazers. Something similar happened during training camp. Murray is now day-to-day as the Kings manage this issue.
In response, Sacramento moved Hunter to small forward and brought in Achiuwa to play power forward. He proved the Kings' faith in him to be justified, as he has since he joined the team early last season. Achiuwa finished the game with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and three blocks.
Keep Achiuwa in the starting five
Sure, Domantas Sabonis had yet another double-double, Darius Acuff Jr. had another 20+ performance, and Zach LaVine darn near dropped 40 points on Memphis. All of that is impressive. But Sabonis and LaVine in particular remain defensive liabilities on that end of the court.
Achiuwa is a stalwart member of the Kings on both offense and defense. And that's regardless of whether he's coming off the bench or playing as part of the starting five. He's become the ultimate backup plan for the Kings, someone they can slot in at the four or the five as needed.
What has become increasingly evident over the course of even the earliest parts of this season is that the Kings need to lean harder on Achiuwa. Start him at power forward every game so that he can help stabilize the offense while also being the defensive anchor. He proved that against the Grizzlies.
If Murray gets healthy enough to return, keep Achiuwa in at power forward and bench Hunter. Frankly, they should bench Hunter even if Murray is still injured. The Kings would be better off with Nique Clifford or Alex Karaban at small forward, just as long as Achiuwa continues to start.
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