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Last Year’s Starting Five: De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, Domantas Sabonis
Proposed Change: Keep Keon Ellis in the starting five with DeMar DeRozan
A left shoulder injury forced Huerter out of the Sacramento Kings starting lineup (and rotation) over the final month of last season. Ellis received the nod in his stead and shined as a defensive worker bee and offensive complement (44.6 percent on triples)—so much so head coach Mike Brown should consider keeping him in the opening-tip fold.
Going back to Huerter has its virtues. His shot-making dipped last season, but his track record as a sniper and off-ball mover renders him a threat. And that utility is more valuable entering the DeMar DeRozan era.
Transitioning from Harrison Barnes to DeRozan upgrades Sacramento’s offense but comes at the expense of three-point shooting. Huerter’s volume (7.9 attempts per 36 minutes) makes it harder for opponents to sink in on the team’s three most talented scorers (DeRozan, Fox, Sabonis).
But the Kings will be harder-pressed to insulate DeRozan on defense with that group. Fox and Murray have both come a long way on that end, but their burden—Murray’s specifically—becomes outsized when trying to game out who DeRozan covers and whether he can effectively help out around the basket.
Rolling with Ellis gives Sacramento someone else capable of tackling advantage creators. The trickle-down effect benefits both Fox and Murray and should make it easier to minimize the amount of screening actions in which DeRozan finds himself.
This is yet another move that comes at the cost of three-point volume. But Ellis jacked up 6.2 long-range attempts per 36 minutes last year, so the difference isn’t massive, and he knocked them down at a high enough rate to justify taking more—even if he doesn’t replicate the level of difficulty on Peak Huerter’s flame-throwing.