Kings Announce Unexpected Starting Lineup Change Before Bucks Game

Doug Christie continues to search for a lineup he likes as the Sacramento Kings season gets underway, and today against the Milwaukee Bucks, he's turning to rookie Dylan Cardwell as the fifth starter.

With Keegan Murray's continued absence due to injury, Christie has been looking at every option, depending on the matchup and opponent. This will be the Kings' fifth different starting lineup in six games, as Nique Clifford, Keon Ellis, Isaac Jones, and Russell Westbrook have all been in and out of the starting lineup early this year.

The decision makes sense for tonight, as the Bucks are a very large team on the front court with both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner on the floor. and tonight, he decided to go big with Cardwell.

And it doesn't help the Kings that Antetokounmpo is on an absolute tear to start the year, averaging 36.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks on 69.5% shooting from the field and 57.1% from three.

He's reminding everyone that he's one of, if not the best, players in the world even as the drama of where he'll continue his career continues. There's really no way to slow him down, but the Kings will have to do their best to try to get their second win tonight.

And plugging Cardwell into the starting lineup gives them the best option to do so. There's no way the Kings could go small against the Bucks, which made it a choice between Cardwell, Jones, Dario Saric, Drew Eubanks, and Maxime Raynaud for Christie.

Oct 22, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) against Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While Raynaud and Jones came into the season with more hype, it's been Cardwell who has looked most impressive in his minutes so far. He's averaging 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.0 steals in 13.5 minutes of action per game.

Those numbers don't jump off the page, but he's the only rim protector on the team and focuses on playing his role while on the court. While the standard numbers don't say much, Cardwell's advanced numbers speak volumes.

The Kings are boasting a +4.7 net rating with him on the court and -6.3 with him off, good for a difference of +11.0, which is a huge number when it comes to the stat.

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The defense is a clear improvement with Cardwell out there, but it will be interesting to see how the Kings operate on offense with the two bigs in Cardwell and Domantas Sabonis on the court at the same time.

Sabonis has struggled from three this season, shooting just 22.2% from deep, which doesn't help the spacing concerns that having the two big lineup creates. But if they can get stops and get out in transition, there's the opportunity to get some easy buckets and limit the necessity for half-court sets.

Either way, it's always exciting when someone gets their first NBA start, espeically for a young two-way player in Cardwell. He's worked hard to get here, and now gets the reward of having to guard a nine-time All-Star and two-time MVP in Antetokounmpo.

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