Sacramento Kings starting lineup: Locks, fringe guys, and break-ins

Fringe Starters

The frontcourt and its subsequent distribution of minutes is going to be a difficult puzzle for the coaching staff to piece through. Gone are Alex Len and Harry Giles, but there have been additions made to replace them, as well as a player returning from injury. Jabari Parker is there, too.

We’ll begin with the players most likely to start:

Marvin Bagley:

Bagley is truly the wild card on the team. He only appeared in 13 games last season due to repeating injuries, and never became a part of the regular rotation. Because of this, no one really knows what Bagley is or how much he will be ready to contribute. He’ll have to remain relatively healthy, and if he can, then the coaching staff would have the option of playing him either at the center or power forward position. Much like Barnes, Bagley’s position in the lineup will likely depend on the performance of his teammates, as well as the potential of any of them being traded.

He played 87 percent of his limited minutes at the center position, compared to 54 percent the season prior and under a different regime. How Walton and company utilize a hopefully-healthy Bagley will be one of the most interesting focal points of the upcoming season.

Richaun Holmes:

Last season’s lone bright spot, Richaun Holmes, will look to regain his spot in the starting lineup this year. He plays exclusively as a center, which means that Bagley would shift over to the power forward spot should he get the start. While we have yet to really see what Bagley can bring to the table, Holmes has already built a rapport with Walton and his staff and was handed over the starting job just a handful of games to begin last season.

Holmes brought much-needed energy and hustle last season and could be counted on to do so yet again this year.

Nemanja Bjelica

If Bjelica ever makes it into the Kings starting lineup, it will be because someone else is either injured or severely underperforming. That is not to say that he isn’t a solid contributor at times, because he is. He filled in nicely in an elevated role early last season when Bagley was out with an injury and ended up being the eighth-most accurate 3-point shooter in the league at 41.9 percent.

Bjelica plays a vast majority of his minutes at power forward, which is the position that Bagley (hopefully) has locked down.