Kings Hit the Panic Button with Wild New Starting Lineup Against Spurs
The Sacramento Kings are shaking up their starting five, rolling out Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, Precious Achiuwa, and Domantas Sabonis against the Spurs after a disastrous 0-3 start.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 1 min read
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The Sacramento Kings are rolling out a new starting five on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs, and honestly, it looks like a 2K MyLeague file where the user simulated three years into the future and made a bunch of panic trades.
Underdog NBA confirmed the Kings will start Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, Precious Achiuwa, and Domantas Sabonis.
"Underdog NBA confirmed: 'Kings will start Acuff Jr., LaVine, Hunter, Achiuwa, Sabonis on Tuesday.'"
If you are wondering why Sacramento is shuffling the deck this early in the season, just look at the scoreboard. The Kings have started the year 0-3, dropping games to the LA Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Memphis Grizzlies in rapid succession.
You know things are going great when you are giving up 128 points to Portland in late October. Across those three losses, Sacramento is surrendering an average of 124 points per night, turning every defensive possession into a layup line.
This new lineup is a desperate attempt to find some two-way balance before the season spirals completely out of control. Sabonis is still the anchor in the middle, but surrounding him with LaVine's scoring and Hunter's wing defense is the new formula.
Throwing Acuff Jr. into the fire at point guard alongside Achiuwa in the frontcourt shows the coaching staff is willing to try anything to spark some actual resistance.
Anyone looking at the betting board for Tuesday's matchup in San Antonio needs to factor in this completely new rotation. If this group cannot figure out how to communicate on defense, the over on the Spurs team total is going to be a very popular ticket.
Sacramento heads to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday after this Texas trip. If this starting five does not click immediately against the Spurs, the panic meter in Northern California is going to snap completely off the dial.
Key stats
The Kings have started the season 0-3.
Sacramento is allowing an average of 124 points per game over their first three losses.
What's next
The Kings play the Spurs on Tuesday before heading to New Orleans on Thursday, needing immediate results from this new unit to avoid falling into a massive early-season hole.

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