Kings Hit the Panic Button with Wild New Starting Lineup Against Spurs
Underdog NBA confirmed: 'Kings will start Acuff Jr., LaVine, Hunter, Achiuwa, Sabonis on Tuesday.'
The are rolling out a new starting five on Tuesday against the , 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 ., Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, Precious Achiuwa, and Domantas Sabonis.
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 , 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.