Kings Roll Out Acuff Jr. and LaVine in Starting Lineup After Opening Night Blowout
Underdog NBA reported the lineup alert on X.
Underdog NBA just dropped the ' starting five for Friday night, and it is officially the . and Zach LaVine show. Sacramento is rolling out Acuff Jr., LaVine, Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, and Domantas Sabonis against the .
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 right back to their original blueprint.
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.
desperately needs this group to click after getting absolutely dismantled 121-96 by the on Wednesday. We will see if this starting five can actually space the floor and find an identity when they tip off against on Friday night.