Which Lineups Actually Worked For the Kings Last Season

The Sacramento Kings didn't have much go right last year during a 22-win season, but that doesn't mean there aren't some positive takeaways from the year. The top individual standouts were clearly the strong play of the three rookies in Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell, but let's take a look at the three lineups as a whole that excelled for the Kings last season.

According to NBA.com's lineup page, the Kings had 692 lineups that took the court last season, but many of those were for a minute or so throughout the flow of a single game. When looking at larger sample sizes, there were 22 five-man lineups that played at least 25 minutes together throughout the year, which allows for a decent sample size to start looking at stats and data.

With that said, here are the three best lineups with 25+ minutes together last season according to their Net Rating.

Lineup #1: +31.5 Net Rating

D. Schröder, M. Monk, N. Clifford, D. Sabonis, D. Cardwell | Minutes Played: 30

Standing out clearly at the top of the list is a surprise lineup, not so much in how well they performed together, but in that they were able to log the necessary 25 minutes together.

Domantas Sabonis only played 19 games last season, but there was enough time on the court to make his mark with this specific combo of players around him. The best part about this top group is the double big lineup.

As the NBA is slowly shifting back to two bigs sharing the court, at least in the regular season, it's a great sign that Sabonis and Dylan Cardwell shared so much success early on. It makes sense, as the two bigs completely offset each other's abilities on the two sides of the ball, but it's always harder when you have one player who can't shoot the three, let alone two.

There are still questions on Sabonis' future with the Kings and if he will be back in Sacramento for another year, but his potential alongside Cardwell is intriguing, to say the least.

Lineup #2: +19.5 Net Rating

R. Westbrook, Z. LaVine, D. DeRozan, K. Murray, P. Achiuwa | Minutes Played: 33

Nov 20, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and guard Russell Westbrook (18) walk toward the bench during a timeout during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Next up on the list is an entirely new five-man unit, and unlike the Sabonis and Cardwell combination, this lineup screams small-ball with Achiuwa at the five. Between him and Murray at the two forward spots, this lineup gave the Kings more versatility that clearly paid off.

Throw in the offensive firepower between Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan, and this lineup actually has a fair balance for both sides of the ball.

A few of these players may be gone next season, but this group shows that the concept of small-ball, with either Achiuwa or someone else who can fill that role, should be something the Kings look at again next year.

Lineup #3: +19.2 Net Rating

Dec 27, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) and center Dylan Cardwell (32) celebrate after the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

D. Carter, N. Clifford, D. Plowden, M. Raynaud, D. Cardwell | Minutes Played: 50

Last but not least are the young guys. Much to the chagrin of many fans, the Kings played their best basketball of the year at the end of the season. When the young players got on the court together, they played the style of basketball that Doug Christie had preached since training camp. They may not have had the talent to keep up with every team, but they gave it their all, and it shows in the numbers.

Much like with the first lineup, it's encouraging to see Raynaud and Cardwell have proven success on the court together. And it should also be noted that Clifford is the only player to appear in two of the three lineups.

Clifford quietly put together a year that showed he can affect the game in a multitude of ways, and just play winning basketball. That may not show up in the traditional box score, but his impact is clear when looking at the advanced numbers.

Here's hoping that the trio of Clifford, Raynaud, and Cardwell top this list once again when we look back next offseason as they continue to grow together.

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