Kings projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
The Sacramento Kings were the biggest surprise team in the NBA last season and looking to continue their newfound streak. Here is their projected lineup for the 2023-24 season.
Going into last season the Sacramento Kings were expected to be one of the worst teams in the Western Conference and projected to win around 33 games. They shocked the NBA world, finishing with the third-best record in the West at 48-34.
The Kings management did a few great things to turn this franchise around. The first was trading for Domantas Sabonis at the trade deadline in 2022, drafting Keegan Murray, and getting Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter in free agency. The most important factor was hiring Mike Brown leading this team to have the highest offensive rating in NBA history and him being the first-ever unanimous Coach of the Year winner.
After having exceeded expectations the Kings made some minor adjustments to their roster so here is the 2023-24 lineup projection.
Sacramento Kings starting point guard: De’Aaron Fox
De’Aaron Fox had a career year last season averaging 25 points, 4.2 rebounds 6.1 assists and 1.1 steals on 51/32/78 splits. This would allow him to be selected to his first ever All-Star team and was selected to All-NBA 3rd team.
Fox played an important part in the success of the Kings because of his ability in the clutch. A clutch time is classified as the last five minutes of a game or overtime where the game is within five points. Fox led the league in total clutch time points with 194 shooting 53 percent from the field. This would lead him to become the first-ever winner of the Clutch Player of the Year award.
Fox is one of the most talented guards in the league because he is one of the fastest players making him deadly in transition and attacking the rim. Last season he was one of the deadliest mid-range shootings in the league and he is a very good playmaker.
It is more than likely Fox will continue to grow as a player and will repeat his success from last season. If he is able to have a respectable three-point shot, he becomes a top-tier guard in the league. He will lead the Kings to many more clutch wins this coming season.
Kings primary backup point guard: Davion Mitchell
Davion Mitchell was the Kings’ backup point guard last season and will resume his role as the backup point guard. Last season he averaged 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 45/32/81 splits.
Mitchell took a step back up from his rookie season but his minutes were reduced by 10 minutes per game. That was a great choice on Mike Brown’s part because Mitchell can be an offensive liability. He can’t shoot efficiently from outside 10 feet which you don’t want from any guard in the league.
Mitchell’s defense is the best part of the game which allows Coach Brown to mix and match his guard play. Mitchell’s grit has allowed him to play minutes as a two-guard alongside De’Aaron Fox, and also play well with a smaller shooting guard in Malik Monk.