One Kings Player Who Needs to Be in the Rotation but Probably Won’t Be

The Sacramento Kings still have at least one roster spot to fill this offseason, but regardless of what they do with it, their rotation for the 2026-27 season is likely already set. The Kings have an underrated, solid roster, with 12 players we could make a case to crack the rotation, but it would be surprising if Doug Christie rolled with that many players every game.

In fact, we will likely see players who deserve minutes get left out of the rotation, simply because the Kings have too many mouths to feed. Here is the most likely 11-man rotation the Kings will use for this season:

PG	SG	SF	PF	C
Darius Acuff Jr.	Zach LaVine	De'Andre Hunter	Keegan Murray	Domantas Sabonis
Malik Monk	Nique Clifford	Alex Karaban	Precious Achiuwa	Maxime Raynaud
				Dylan Cardwell

Two players are left out of this rotation: Daeqwon Plowden and rookie Emanuel Sharp. However, the Kings should be doing everything they can to get Sharp in the rotation this season.

Emanuel Sharp needs minutes

Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sharp, 22, was one of the most underrated players in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the Kings managed to pick him up with the 45th overall pick. Sure, he is an older prospect, but he has all the makings of an impactful NBA role player.

Through his final three years at Houston, playing four total seasons under esteemed head coach Kelvin Sampson, Sharp averaged 13.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 38.1% from three-point range. Sharp was a three-year starter for the Cougars, finishing as the school's all-time leader in three-pointers and free-throw percentage.

Sharp was one of college basketball's best guard defenders and an elite threat from beyond the arc, and there is no doubt that either trait will translate to the NBA level. At his worst, Sharp will be a valuable 3-and-D guard for the Kings. And, for a Kings team that finished last in the NBA in three-pointers and had the third-worst defense, they could certainly use him.

Emanuel Sharp was one of my favorite “just go get him” guys as a sleeper in the 2026 NBA Draft class

Sequences like this are why.

Kings got a dude who’s going to play in this league for a long time pic.twitter.com/KJ7pBCoXqD
— Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) July 4, 2026

Over seven Summer League games this offseason, Sharp averaged 15.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game, shooting 34.9% from deep on 9.0 attempts per contest. Sharp showed off how pesky a defender he can be, without being afraid to let it fly from beyond the arc, and there is no question the Kings organization loved what they saw.

A Sharp-Acuff backcourt

While guys like LaVine, Monk, and Clifford will likely be ahead of Sharp in the rotation to start the season, it might not be long until the rookie guard emerges as Sacramento's best long-term option at shooting guard.

Especially alongside seventh-overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., Sharp seems like the best possible pairing. For everything Acuff Jr. lacks on defense, Sharp makes up for it. Acuff Jr. thrives when having three-point shooters to space the floor, and Sharp would be there as a perfect off-ball target.

It was no coincidence that the Kings drafted Sharp after adding Acuff Jr. as their new franchise point guard, and there is no reason to wait to see how the two rookies fit together. It would be silly to leave Sharp out of the rotation this season.

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