Breaking down position battles as Kings compete for starting spots and fight for minutes
Kings coach Luke Walton is planning to trot out another new starting lineup in Monday’s preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers as position battles continue to play out in training camp.
The Kings opened preseason play with a 117-106 win over the Phoenix Suns and followed that with a 113-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, using different starting lineups in each contest. Walton said he has more than one lineup in mind for his team’s third preseason game in Portland. He said that decision had not been made following Saturday’s practice and acknowledged multiple starting positions are still up for grabs.
“I’m still figuring out what one I want to see the most of and then, probably by Game 4, it could be new, but we’ll kind of reevaluate after those first three games and make the decision from there,” Walton said.
The Kings started De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes against the Suns. They started Fox, Haliburton, Barnes, Maurice Harkless and Tristan Thompson against the Clippers. Walton said the latter lineup was a realistic possibility for the regular season, indicating Harkless and Thompson could be in the running for starting spots, but that might depend on what happens with Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III.
Both players have been the subject of trade rumors over the past year. Coincidentally, both were held out of practice on Saturday amid a new flurry of trade speculation around Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons. Talks between the Kings and 76ers have been quiet for weeks, but The Athletic’s David Aldridge reported Simmons “would have no problem going to Sacramento.”
Walton said Hield and Bagley were experiencing knee soreness, but “I wouldn’t call them injuries,” he said.
Assuming the Kings start the season with their current roster, Walton could start Hield as a somewhat undersized small forward with Barnes at power forward. Or he could start Barnes at small forward with Bagley at power forward, as he did against Phoenix. Hield and Bagley have both had their moments in the preseason, but neither has made a particularly strong claim to a starting spot yet.
Hield is averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 22.5 minutes per game. Those are solid numbers, but he’s shooting just 29% from the field and 26.9% from 3-point range.
Bagley is averaging 12 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game. He has made 10 of 15 (.667) field-goal attempts, but he’s shooting 16.7% from 3-point range and 37.5% at the free-throw line. The Kings need a stronger rebounding presence from Bagley and better scoring efficiency from both players. They also need to know who can hold their own on defense.
If Walton chooses to bring Hield and Bagley off the bench, and if rookie standout Davion Mitchell doesn’t soar to a spot in the starting lineup, the Kings could turn to Harkless or Thompson for a veteran presence. Walton likes the idea of playing Barnes and Harkless together as interchangeable pieces at the small forward and power forward positions. Thompson, on the other hand, would help to address rebounding concerns.
The key to this flexibility is Barnes, who started at small forward last season but logged 66% of his minutes at power forward. Walton said he hasn’t decided where to start Barnes and indicated he has at least two starting positions available.
“I have not come to (a decision regarding Barnes) and there are still open spots,” Walton said. “So I don’t know where ‘H’ will be, the 3 or the 4. He will be on the court, but I don’t know what position it will be.”
Walton said the position battles in training camp have been spirited but healthy. Now, though, the Kings are at a point where players aren’t just competing for starting spots. They’re fighting for minutes.
“What I’m really emphasizing with our guys right now, and what we’re really pushing on them, is who’s going out there and playing the way we want them to play?” Walton said. “Because we know now that we have really good players in multiple positions, and we need to be disciplined in our spacing. We need to be disciplined in making quick decisions. We’ve got to be disciplined with the way we compete defensively. And if you’re doing those things, you’re going to give yourself the best chance of starting, and not only starting, but playing rotational minutes.”
This story was originally published October 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
