Numbers Don't Lie About Kings' Disastrous Bench Production

Coming into the season, one of the Sacramento Kings strengths was supposed to be their depth and bench. With a multitude of role players at Doug Christie's disposal, I actually wrote articles on how they have too many players to get on the court. But six games into the season, with a 0-6 record, it's been the complete opposite so far.

The Kings' bench is one of, if not the worst, units in the league. Injuries are a huge part of the issue, with Ben Simmons out for the season and Keegan Murray, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell all out for extended periods of time.

But even with those players out, the Kings still have: Malik Monk, a former Sixth Man of the Year runner up. Nique Clifford, a promising second-year wing who many thought would be in an expanded role. Emanuel Sharp to bring three-point shooting and defense. Another late first-round pick in Alex Karaban. And Jonathan Mogbo and Daeqwon Plowden to do all the dirty work and fill in the gaps.

On paper, that looks like a solid rotation to mix in with the starters, but in actuality, it looks like a collection of players that leans too far into the realm of role players. Monk is the only true scorer and facilitator, and it shows that the Kings don't have any punch off their bench.

The Numbers

Spoiler alert, avert your eyes if you don't want to see the scary numbers.

The Kings bench is last in the league with 19.5 points, but even that doesn't tell the full story. They are shooting 36.0% from the field, 21.4% from three, and grabbing just 7.5 rebounds per contest. All four of those stats are dead last in the association.

It's a hard spot for the Kings to be in, because they really don't have anyone else to turn to until players come back from injuries. And even then, none of Murray, Raynaud, or Cardwell are high-volume scorers.

Keegan can catch fire on any given game, but he's been in an ancillary scoring role throughout his career. Raynaud had some big games last year and averaged 12.5 points, but that was in a starting role compared to coming off the bench.

How Did We Get Here

Oct 16, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (10) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard David Jones Garcia (25) during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It really is hard to figure out how the Kings got here. Injuries are the easy answer, but it feels like Scott Perry and the front office leaned in too much to the defensive side of the ball once again, and completely forgot they had to improve the offense as well.

And it really doesn't help that Clifford has taken a huge step back to start the season. Him taking a leap in his sophomore season was one of the Kings biggest X-Factors coming into the season, and so far, he's been out of the rotation at times, averaging 1.6 points on 28.6% shooting from the field. And he's yet to hit a three, isn't rebounding (0.4), and his assists have dropped in half from 2.4 to 1.2.

Mix that with Monk's struggles (3.8 points and 2.8 assists on 22.2% from the field and 10% from three), and it's no wonder the Kings' bench is so non-productive.

At the end of the day, none of this may matter, as it's already a doomed season for Sacramento. The important thing is that Darius Acuff Jr. is looking like the next franchise star, but it would be nice to start filling out the roster around him. And so far through six games this season, there's a lot of wanting to be left for the remaining 74 games of the season.

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