The 2024-25 NBA season got off to a rough start for the Sacramento Kings. But a recent tweak to the starting lineup has seemed to reverse their fortunes, and it appears to have energized and elevated the entire roster.
Sacramento Kings Surging Since Shift In Starting Lineup
Malik Monk was on the brink of winning the 6th Man of the Year award last season. He was listed as a slight favorite late into the month of March, but an unfortunate injury ended his season and his eligibility for the honors. He was the undisputed leader of the second unit for the Kings, and finished the season with a 15.4 point, 5.1 assist stat line.
Another injury early on in the current season forced him to miss another two weeks. The 6-4 Kings dropped to 8-9 during his absence, as the struggles of the bench unit became a major issue.
When Sacramento fell to 9-11 and became in danger of letting the season slip away, head coach Mike Brown decided to make a change. He inserted Malik Monk into the starting lineup, giving the 26-year-old guard his first starting opportunity since signing with the Kings back in 2022. And based on the results, it is likely that he is there to stay.
Kings win back-to-back games for the first time in a month.
-SEASON-HIGH in points: 141 (140 last game was season high)
-SEASON-HIGH in 3s: 22/44 from 3
-SEASON-HIGH in bench points: 60 bench pointsThey have averaged 127.2 PPG since Malik Monk entered the starting lineup.
— Deuce Mason (@DeuceMason) December 9, 2024
The Kings actually lost the first game that Monk started, and are just 3-2 since making the switch. But the two losses were close, winnable games, as they dropped games against the Spurs and Grizzlies by a total of 7 points.
The wins, though, have been impressive. They were able to defeat the Houston Rockets last week for perhaps their best win of the young season, and have been dominant in their two most recent contests. On Friday, they avenged their loss against the Spurs by defeating San Antonio 140-113, and they ran the Utah Jazz out of the gym on Sunday by a score of 141-97.
In his five starts, Monk has upped his scoring average to 19.4 points per game. His three-point percentage has increased to nearly 43% on 8.4 attempts, and he is dishing out 6.4 assists.
Other Players Have Seen Upticks In Performance
But it isn’t just Malik Monk who has seen a bump in their numbers. The entire Kings’ roster has been performing at a higher clip. In the five games since the starting lineup change, Sacramento is 1st in the NBA in scoring (127 ppg). They are dishing out the 3rd-most assists in that span, and are 2nd in overall field goal percentage. They also have the second-fewest turnovers.
The sample size is still small, but other players have seemed to benefit as well. The most notable shift has been in the performance of Kevin Huerter, who was shooting an abysmal 27.7% from three-point range before the switch was made. But in the four games that he’s played since Monk has been starting, Huerter is shooting 50% from deep, including going 10 for 13 (77%) in the last two contests.
Sacramento’s recent scoring and 3P shooting:
vs. SAS (L): 125 points on 12/32 3P
vs. HOU (W): 120 points on 14/30 3P
@ MEM (L): 110 points on 8/35 3P
@ SAS (W): 140 points on 16/34 3P
vs. UTA (W): 141 points on 22/44 3PThey’re averaging 127 points over the last five.
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 9, 2024
It will take them some time to dig out of the hole that they have created for themselves in the Western Conference. As of Monday, they are still all the way down in 12th place, their 12-13 record better than only the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Jazz. But they have a handful of winnable games coming up before the end of the calendar year. They’ll take on the Pelicans on Thursday, and have back-to-back games against the struggling Lakers the week leading up to Christmas.
There are still holes to fill and issues to fix with the roster. But it appears that the Sacramento Kings have taken a step forward in recent games, and it may be the simple switch of Monk into the starting lineup that has caused the upswing.
