Three Kings Players Who Need to Have Breakout Seasons in 2026-27

The Sacramento Kings have extremely low expectations this season, with many anticipating them to be the worst team in the NBA. However, the Kings know this as well, as they commit to a rebuild around their new-look young core.

Sure, the Kings still have a pair of veteran stars on the roster in Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine, but the future of the franchise will weigh on how well the young core performs. This season, the Kings need to see some improvements from their young guys, with these three players particularly on breakout watch in Sacramento this season:

Keegan Murray

Keegan Murray is the most obvious breakout candidate, although he has been for the past few years. After an incredible rookie season put him on the map as a potential rising star, the Kings have been patiently waiting for Murray to actually make that leap, but he has yet to truly shine.

Last season, the 25-year-old forward dealt with injuries that limited him to just 23 appearances, but even when he did play, he was not as impressive as the Kings would've hoped. Murray shot just 27.7% from three-point range, and if he really wants to take his game to the next level, he needs to find his rhythm from beyond the arc.

Murray has become the Kings' best defender and has improved with the ball in his hands, so as long as he can piece everything together this season, there is no reason that he cannot break out and be the rising star that Sacramento needs him to be.

Nique Clifford

In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Kings traded into the first round to select Nique Clifford with the 24th overall pick. As a do-it-all guard who can make an impact in nearly every aspect of the game, it was obvious why the Kings wanted him enough to trade up, and he showed some of those flashes during his rookie season.

In 28 starts last season, he averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Of course, he was about as efficient as we expect out of a rookie guard, but he showed exactly what the Kings were hoping for.

Ideally, Clifford shows all-around improvement, especially defensively, this season. We would love to see Clifford thrive alongside the Kings' new franchise point guard, Darius Acuff Jr., to show that the duo can be Sacramento's backcourt of the future. Granted, the Kings' guard room is still a bit crowded, so Clifford might not get the opportunities necessary for a full breakout season, but he just needs to show some improvement.

Dylan Cardwell

Of course, it is bad to hold high expectations for a player who went undrafted just a year ago, but Dylan Cardwell could be a very important piece for the Kings this season, as long as he is able to step up.

With the Kings holding onto three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis and All-Rookie big man Maxime Raynaud likely to earn plenty of minutes, it is hard to project Dylan Cardwell's spot in Sacramento's center rotation. However, one thing is clear: they need his interior defense.

Both Sabonis and Raynaud are incredible offensive talents, but they lack defensive impact. As a rookie, Cardwell proved to be an elite rebounder and shot-blocker, and the Kings should be a much better team this season if he is able to showcase that in an expanded role while developing his offensive game.

On paper, Cardwell is the best fit in most of the Kings' projected lineups, largely because they desperately need his defensive presence, but he needs to prove that he is capable of having that significant a role this season and potentially even pass Raynaud in the center rotation.

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