Three Things to Watch For As Kings Kick Off Preseason In Sacramento

The Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors faced off in Quebec to mark the start of the NBA’s preseason schedule, and the rest of the league isn’t far behind. The Sacramento Kings have been gearing up to face the Los Angeles Lakers with an intense training camp, and according to head coach Doug Christie, the air around the team feels different this year.

With debuts from Darius Acuff Jr., Alex Karaban, and Emanuel Sharp, as well as Ben Simmons’ return coming later on, there’s a lot of change to work through before the team even steps on the court. Preseason is always a time to work things out, and we shouldn’t expect a well-oiled machine yet (or at all), but there are a few interesting things to watch for tonight.

How Easy Do Things Look For Darius Acuff Jr.?

Sep 28, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) during media day at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Acuff Jr. had a bit of a rough Summer League shooting the ball, as is often the case for rookie guards as they transition to the NBA. The former Arkansas guard averaged 21 points per game, but shot just 35% from the floor and 28% from three in five games. Luckily, shooting stats in the summer have almost zero bearing on regular season success for rookies. Instead of focusing on the numbers, it’s valuable to ask yourself: how easy does it look for this guy?

"Just been super impressed with Darius. The way he processes information...the kid is magnificent."

On the eve of the Kings first preseason game, Doug Christie shares his praise of Darius Acuff Jr. pic.twitter.com/5SxLpxz0VI
— Kevin John (@heykevinjohn) October 5, 2026

For example, AJ Dybantsa also didn’t shoot the ball very well in Summer League either, but it was clear that he could get wherever he wanted to on the court. Acuff Jr. had a bit of a tougher time adjusting to the size and speed of the NBA and definitely forced some shots and passes. As a smaller guard who isn’t the most explosive athlete, Acuff Jr. will need to rely on his craft and shooting gravity to get to his spots on the court, and that’s exactly what we should be looking for tonight.

It isn’t the end of the world if he struggles to create open looks with the ball in his hands. Acuff Jr. will be able to play off-ball some and make life easier on himself, but in the end we want to see what he can do as a lead guard. Having to create against solid defenders like Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Adou Thiero, and Bronny James will be a fun challenge for Acuff in his first game, and while I expect him to struggle a bit there, he should be able to have his way with the Lakers when poor defenders like Austin Reaves and bigs like Walker Kessler switch onto him.

The “Big” Puzzle

Apr 12, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sacramento should be a much more versatile team with their added size on the wing, but their center rotation is going to be a bit of a puzzle this season. While being different players, Domantas Sabonis, Max Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell don’t have skill sets that are very complementary to each other. Raynaud and Sabonis like to operate in similar areas of the court offensively and also have similar defensive limitations. Playing Cardwell next to one of the other two bigs could make sense defensively, but you would ideally want more shooting on the court than what either Sabonis or Raynaud can provide.

Doug Christie on Maxime Raynaud:

“Max took his offseason extremely serious, and he wants to be a good player in this league, and he will be for a number of years because he’s extremely talented.”

Christie also talked about the benefit of Raynaud gaining roughly 20 pounds: pic.twitter.com/EpWCNoOmRF
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 3, 2026

Tonight will be a great chance for Christie to try a few different combinations with his center rotation to see if he can find a balance. I expect Sabonis to start the game as the lone big, but Raynaud already hinted at playing some four next to either him or Cardwell. I could see some of Cardwell and Sabonis playing together, but I worry that pairing would be easy to take advantage of for opposing teams. Because of that, it will likely be up to Raynaud to improve on the skills needed to play down a position.

It’s a tall task, but I’ll be looking for Raynaud to show some growth as a shooter, rim-protector, and perimeter defender as he begins his second NBA season. For Cardwell, the key is going to be offensive improvement and comfortability as he’s already one of the better defenders in the NBA. We know who Sabonis is at this point, and I wouldn’t expect him to make any major improvements at 30 years old, but it would be great to see him look comfortable shooting the ball as he did in the 24/25 season.

Non-Acuff Debuts

UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) shoots up and over Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) on Monday, April 6, 2026, during the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Andscape’s Marc Spears reports that Ben Simmons will not be making his debut tonight, but there are two other Kings’ beginnings to watch out for. First, the Kings’ other first-round draft pick, Alex Karaban, should be playing tonight. Karaban is a perennial winner, bringing home two National Championships with the UConn Huskies and becoming the program leader in wins, minutes, games, and three-pointers made. Karaban becoming a star would be a very far-fetched outcome, but it will be interesting to see how comfortable he looks in his first action post-summer league as an older, accomplished rookie.

Ben Simmons is expected to make his Kings preseason debut on Thursday at Lakers or Saturday at Golden State, sources told @andscape. A sources said Simmons is healthy and has had a strong of a training camp as any Kings player but the franchise wants to ramp him up cautiously. pic.twitter.com/S5MRgKsxYz
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 5, 2026

The Kings were also able to snag Emanuel Sharp in the second round, who may actually have an easier path to success than Karaban. Like the former Husky, Sharp is a bona fide winner and embodies everything that Houston coach Kelvin Sampson stands for. Sharp looked great in Summer League, and tonight I’ll be watching how he defends Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves if he gets a chance, while showing the floor-spacing ability that helped him become one of the better two-way guards in the NCAA.

For both players, we shouldn’t be expecting huge numbers. As later draft picks, you’re looking for them to show they belong in the NBA as it isn’t a given despite their success in college. Will Karaban be able to stay in front of NBA athletes? Will Sharp feel comfortable handling the ball when needed? These are the types of questions I’m asking, rather than wondering if either Karaban or Sharp will score in double figures.

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

Has Anything Really Changed?

One preseason game tells you very little about how a team will fare in the regular season, but there are some things that should be clear for the Kings tonight. Last season, they looked lost on both ends of the floor and that went beyond what the players could control. More than anything, I’m hoping to see a Kings’ team that looks like they aren’t the worst in the league and have a foundation to build on.

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