Predicting the Kings' Starting Lineup After the All-Star Break

The Sacramento Kings have had minimal consistency this season, as they had 28 different starting lineups through their first 56 games. The Kings did not have any lineups start more than nine games together, as the five of Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Precious Achiuwa, and Maxime Raynaud were their most-played starting group.

That starting five played nine games together, posting a 4-5 record, which is surprisingly impressive compared to their 8-39 combined record with every other starting lineup.

With star guard Zach LaVine out for the season and De'Andre Hunter now in the mix, what starting group will the Kings roll with after the All-Star break?

Kings' new-look starting lineup

Jan 29, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Assuming everyone is healthy after the All-Star break, even though Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray could still be hurt, the Kings have a few interesting lineup decisions to make.

If I had to guess, the Kings would go with a lineup of Russell Westbrook, Nique Clifford, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis when at full strength, but there are a couple of notable questions about this group.

Sure, starting rookie guard Nique Clifford in place of an injured LaVine is great, but this lineup still has an average age of 30.2 years. For a team that is at the bottom of the standings and should be focusing on their young guys, they would be starting a 36-year-old and a 37-year-old.

Ideally, the Kings would continue to lean on rookie Maxime Raynaud as their starting center, but realistically, that only happens if Sabonis is out of the lineup entirely. By starting Sabonis, the Kings would have to find minutes for both rookie centers, Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, off the bench, which could make things difficult.

21 PTS 👑 19 REB 👑 8/14 FG

What a night for the ROOKIE! Maxime Raynaud hauled down a career-high in rebounds during a near 20-20 effort for the @sacramentokings. #GLeagueAlum pic.twitter.com/pSGrtWlMcZ
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) February 10, 2026

With that starting five, the Kings would have a bench unit of Devin Carter, Malik Monk, De'Andre Hunter, Precious Achiuwa, Dylan Cardwell, and Maxime Raynaud.

Would the Kings want to experiment with the newly-acquired Hunter in the starting lineup? Do they want to turn to second-year guard Devin Carter to get some more run with the starters? Do they want to start either of their standout rookie centers? There are plenty of questions worth asking as the Kings look to figure out their end-of-season rotation.

Kings head coach Doug Christie will have his hands full as he tries to balance minutes between their veterans and young core, especially knowing that they have nothing to play for in the final 26 games of the season besides lottery position.

The most likely starting lineup: Westbrook, Clifford, DeRozan, Murray, Sabonis

There is certainly a direction the Kings could take as they end the season if they want to focus on their young players' development, which would mean moving Westbrook and DeRozan to the bench. Sabonis is a bit harder to move to the second unit, but if they did, their starting five would look more like this:

The young starting lineup: Carter, Clifford, Murray, Achiuwa, Raynaud

The Kings will likely continue to roll with their veterans in the starting five, but it would be great to see them mix things up with new goals in mind. The younger starting lineup could be something we see in the final handful of games, but as the team looks to snap a 14-game losing streak, their veterans will be the focus.

Kings' new-look starting lineup

The most likely starting lineup: Westbrook, Clifford, DeRozan, Murray, Sabonis

The young starting lineup: Carter, Clifford, Murray, Achiuwa, Raynaud

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