Why Brown is “not comfortable” with Kings’ rotations after a loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO — With plenty of moving pieces entering the 2024-25 NBA season, the Kings have assembled most of the pack. for their season opener Thursday night at Ora 1 Center.
In doing so, however, it also presented coach Mike Brown with some tough decisions that — in the big picture — will take some time to sort out.
Kevin Huerter (shoulder) and Trey Lyles (groin) were both cleared just in time for Thursday’s game after missing training camp and five preseason games.
Rising junior guard Keon Ellis replaced Huerter in that starting shooting guard spot from the end of last season through this preseason, but despite Ellis’ effective presence in a small margin, Huerter has reclaimed his role with the first five along with De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis.
As expected, as he increases his workload, Huerter has played the fewest minutes among the starters with just under 20.
The rest of the band played almost double — or more.
35-year-old DeRozan, in Year 16, played more than 42 minutes. Sabonis played 38 and Fox followed right behind him with 37. Murray, the youngest of the group, played a team-high 43 minutes.
That’s something Brown doesn’t want to see happen at night.
“You can tell, just from the minutes, that I’m still not comfortable with my rotation,” Brown said after Sacramento’s 117-115 loss on Thursday. “I don’t want Demar to average 43 minutes a game. I don’t want Keegan to average 43 minutes a game. And so that’s something I have to keep working on to help them. I don’t want Domas either. at 38 and I don’t want Fox at 37.
“So, again, that’s something I have to continue to work on with the group to figure out what’s going to be good for us rotationally going forward – and it may take some time.”
The first two players to check in off the bench Thursday were Ellis and, of course, Sacramento sixth man Malik Monk. Next up was Lyles before 7-foot center Alex Len checked in with about a minute left in the opening quarter.
Brown went nine-deep for most of the game, before he felt the need to shake things up in the fourth just as the Kings’ collapse began. He turned to his bench and selected veteran shortstop Doug McDermott, who had been in Sacramento for less than 10 days after signing a one-year contract with the Kings last Wednesday.
Monk played the most minutes off the bench, another no-surprise, with 26. Ellis and Lyles each played about 11, while Len and McDermott played just under six minutes.
Colby Jones, Isaac Jones and Jordan McLaughlin were all DNPs (Did Not Play).
It’s going to take some time for Huerter and Lyles to get back into the swing of things — and the Kings know that.
But changing the lineup so close to the season opener made it a little more difficult to adjust to.
“It just takes some time to get used to it,” Sabonis said after the game. “We didn’t play with DeMar, but we played with Kev and Trey. And then it just changes the lineup. Keon goes back to the second unit. So obviously there’s some adjustment there, but we just have to figure it out. out faster.
“We all know how to play basketball, so we just have to go out there and do our job.”
DeRozan is a six-time NBA All-Star and one of the greatest scorers in the game. He arrived in Sacramento this offseason via a sign-and-trade deal and immediately began working with some of his new teammates in private workouts before reporting to training camp for his first official practices with his new squad.
He adapts to the Kings, and the Kings adapt to him. And now, with the inclusion of Huerter and Lyles, he’s adjusting — again — to a new lineup and different rotations.
But he is regarded as one of the truest professionals for a reason. He can adapt and adapt in almost any situation. This is what he has done since he became King and what he plans to continue doing going forward.
“I think the hardest part is helping them [Lyles and Huerter] get in their rhythm because they haven’t been able to do training camp with us,” DeRozan said. “They’ve missed preseason, and when you miss a lot of little things like that, it’s harder to get in a rhythm for them. So I think that’s the hard part. Once their rhythm picks up, it will be a lot easier for us, though.
“… We were rusty with a lot of things, but the effort was there. We competed, we moved the ball. Once we get that rhythm with each other, I think everything [will] perfectly matched. Understanding which guys like the ball, getting to their spots, everything. But for the most part, I’m pleased with how aggressive we were, how we competed. It’s just a shame we didn’t get the win.”
It’s Game 1, but if there’s one lesson the Kings learned from last season, it’s that every contest is important. Brown will continue to experiment with different lineups and rotations, but he’ll need to find the ones that work — and find them soon.
