Kings Roll Out Acuff Jr. and LaVine in Starting Lineup After Opening Night Blowout

Underdog NBA just dropped the Sacramento Kings' starting five for Friday night, and it is officially the Darius Acuff Jr. and Zach LaVine show. Sacramento is rolling out Acuff Jr., LaVine, Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, and Domantas Sabonis against the Portland Trail Blazers.

This is the exact group we expected to see all summer, right up until Ben Simmons briefly hijacked the starting job before suffering a season-ending injury three days before opening night. Losing a redemption-arc starter before the season even tips off is peak sports theater, but it forces Sacramento right back to their original blueprint.

"Underdog NBA reported the lineup alert on X."

The real wild card here is Acuff Jr., a 19-year-old rookie point guard who is currently shooting a completely unhinged 20.8 percent from the floor. For context, you could probably shoot 20 percent by just throwing the ball backward over your head and hoping for a lucky bounce. He is still managing 12 points and three assists a night, but the efficiency is a public audit waiting to happen.

Then you have the veterans trying to bounce back. LaVine is looking to prove he is fully recovered from a finger injury that limited him to just 39 games last season. Meanwhile, Murray is trying to justify a massive $140 million extension while fixing a three-point shot that dipped into the mid-twenties last year.

For anyone looking at the prop markets or setting daily fantasy lineups, this rotation is a massive puzzle. Sabonis remains the undisputed offensive engine, but figuring out who takes the secondary shots between a rusty LaVine, a struggling Murray, and a rookie who has never met a shot he will not take is a total gamble.

Sacramento desperately needs this group to click after getting absolutely dismantled 121-96 by the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. We will see if this starting five can actually space the floor and find an identity when they tip off against Portland on Friday night.