Kings Need to Figure Out Rotation If They Want to Make Late-Season Playoff Push

The Kings have a lot to figure out following the NBA all-star break. The team has gone through a lot of flux over the past couple of weeks, including trading away star point guard De’Aaron Fox, and now the ninth-seed squad is figuring out how to make a serious postseason push.

Bringing in dynamic scorer Zach LaVine and big man Jonas Valenciunas is a start, but there’s still a long way to go. Sacramento, thanks to their recent trades, have a decent amount of depth for the first time this year. That’s good, but it does mean more pieces to fit into the rotation.

(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

Locking in a startling lineup isn’t too difficult, seeing as the Kings still lean on high-end talent like LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan to get them through games. What’s difficult, and the biggest challenge for interim coach Doug Christie, is finding out who’s on the floor at the end of the game.

Closing Things Out

Every team in and on the edge of the playoff picture has to make a strong push to end the season. The Kings are in the play-in game right now, but just a few victories can rocket them to the fifth or sixth seed. A few losses can end their season as well.

All wins matter at this point in the season, and they will only get more important going forward. That’s something Christie knows from personal experience, and it’s something he plans to focus on in the coming weeks.

Finding the Right Crew

The Kings have five strong starters in Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. On top of that, Keon Ellis has done a great job off the bench. That leaves the team with six players who can close out contests.

LaVine seems poised to be the new leader

But his short time with Sacramento has been anything but stable. The high-flying guard has not seen a consistent closing rotation since leaving Chicago.

In LaVine’s first games with the Kings, Christie subbed DeRozan in and out for offense and defense, sat Murray at the end of games, and pulled Ellis. While Ellis is not the best offensive weapon, he has a +22.7 net rating in just over three minutes of clutch time. That doesn’t make Christie’s job any easier.

Choosing Between Offense and Defense

It seems the Kings currently favor an offensive set at the end of the game. Though their defensive lineup can do a good job at keeping opponents away from the rim, in doing so it does make them much worse at coming up with an easy bucket or big shot.

Christie himself has said that rotations may change a lot moving forward

He wants to adapt his team to each situation. That sounds nice on paper, but it does lead to some on-court issues too. Most notably, it’s hard for the players to get set if they don’t know what to expect.

Just like Steve Kerr with the Warriors, Christie constantly shifting who gets play and who doesn’t can lead to confusion. It’s better if he finds a set that he likes and then keeps it in most situations going forward.

Giving Carter Another Chance

Though the Kings have a lot of questions to answer, they are making some moves towards getting a stronger rotation. One of them is bringing in guard Devin Carter, who they took in the first-round of the draft last summer.

The quick ball handler, who missed time at the start of the season due to injury, played 16 games with the team before being sent down to G-League affiliate in Stockton. Now, Sacramento has brought him back up to rejoin the team following the all-star break.

While Carter still has a lot of room to grow

He’s a solid ball handler who can run the offense without making too many mistakes. That’s incredibly important for the Kings right now, as they have struggled in that area since losing Fox at the top of the key.

Carter isn’t going to set the world on fire, but he could act as something the team can depend on in the coming weeks. Currently, that’s all they need.