2021 Sacramento Kings Depth Chart
# | # | # | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Point Guard | ![]() | 5 | ![]() | 55 | ||
Shooting Guard | ![]() | 24 | ![]() | 0 | ![]() | 7 |
Small Forward | ![]() | 40 | ![]() | 10 | ||
Power Forward | ![]() | 35 | ![]() | 25 | ||
Center | ![]() | 21 | ![]() | 20 |
Much like the Knicks, the Kings have become one of the laughing stocks of NBA over the past few seasons and they will once again be the butt of a lot of jokes heading into the 2020 season but things might start looking up for them soon. After winning just 27 games last season and finishing 12th in the Western Conference, the Kings extended their playoff drought to 12 years, the longest active streak in the NBA. They drafted the young Marvin Bagley Jr. with the second pick in the draft and he projects to slot into the starting lineup right away, giving the team some hope for a bright future, and they have the young trio of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Bogdan Bogdanovic to play around him. They added some guard depth through free agency with the signings of Yogi Ferrell and Iman Shumpert but they created an even bigger logjam in the frontcourt by bringing in Nemanja Bjelica and Deyonta Davis. Head coach Dave Joerger will have some decisions to make when it comes to who gets minutes in the frontcourt but having a lot of options could be a luxury for Joerger.
De’Aaron Fox heads into his sophomore season with lofty expectations after a mediocre rookie season. Fox averaged 11.6 points and 4.4 assists per game for the Kings last season and struggled with his efficiency. Fox has the skillset to be great, and he is a fantastic defender, so if he is able to develop his jumper and refine his skill set a bit, the Kings will be sitting pretty at the point guard position. Frank Mason and Yogi Ferrell will battle in training camp for the honors to backup Fox at point guard and each brings a similar style of play to the equation. Ferrell is the more experienced guard, heading into his third NBA season, and has proven himself as someone that can contribute on offense. Ferrell is the more efficient shooter, as well, which could help him edge out Mason in that battle. Buddy Hield should get the nod as the starter alongside Fox this season and he brings much needed three-point shooting to the table. Hield shot 43.1 percent from beyond-the-arc last season and was a reliable scoring option off the bench for the Kings. The depth behind Hield is a huge weakness for the Kings as they have Ben McLemore and Iman Shumpert slated to get those minutes, neither of which has contributed much to winning in any of their stops in the NBA. Joerger could get creative with his second unit and use Ferrell or Mason behind Hield, providing them with a little more offense.
While the depth at small forward will be a little limited, the Kings have the luxury of having the young Bogdan Bogdanovic headlining the position. Bogdanovic was outstanding for the Kings last season showing off multiple facets to his game. He averaged 11.8 points per game but contributed with 3.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds and was a reliable shooter from the outside. He was an efficient ball handler when the rest of the guards were struggling and he provides Dave Joerger with plenty of flexibility with both his starting unit and bench units. Justin Jackson has yet to prove that he belongs in the NBA but he is pretty much all they have behind Bogdanovic at this point unless they want to move Nemanja Bjelica over to small forward. Bjelica provides experience and shooting to the position and would be a much better option behind Bogdanovic. What happens at power forward will be intriguing to watch as Joerger has plenty of options. Zach Randolph brings a veteran presence to the group and could start ahead of rookie Marvin Bagley, although Randolph’s ability to create his own shots and post-game might be better suited off the bench. The Kings also have Harry Giles listed at power forward and he is primed to break out this year after missing all of last season due to an injury.
Willie Cauley-Stein projects to land the starting job at center and he is ready to breakout after showing some flashes last season. He is coming off a career year where he averaged 12.8 points and 7 rebounds for the Kings and is in a contract year. Skal Labissiere is buried behind several players on the depth chart but is still really young and will be the best option at center behind Cauley-Stein but the Kings have the luxury of Kosta Koufos and Deyonta Davis at the position, as well.