Markelle Fultz and the Kings Rotation - Who's In and Who's Out

The Sacramento Kings get back underway tonight against the Golden State Warriors after a week off from the All-Star break, and one of the main questions centers around who is going to be in the rotation.

The newest member of the team, Markelle Fultz adds yet another wrinkle to the rotational picture. With the addition of the former first overall draft pick, the Kings now have ten viable players who could see the floor on any given night, and that's not counting rookie Devin Carter.

Fultz fills a desperate need for the Kings, a pass first point guard who can facilitate the offense. The hard part is figuring out how he may fit in the rotation and who would sit to give Sacramento another point guard outside of Malik Monk.

Markelle Fultz on his decision to join Sacramento, this season, and what he brings:

“Just a playmaker, a leader, just doing whatever it takes to win. I think my passing and being able to be a point guard… on the other end of the floor being able to be a defensive pest…” pic.twitter.com/kNqjtozybO
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) February 20, 2025

In an attempt to figure out the possible scenarios and what the rotation may look like going forward, I took a look at the last five games for the Kings and the minutes that each player played. Jake LaRavia wasn't available for the first game, but other than that, the roster was whole.

Sacramento Kings minutes over the last five games. | Will Z.

The five games provide a solid sample as they were all close games and thankfully there were no garbage minutes to skew the data.

The first thing that stands out to me is Trey Lyles decrease in minutes. After spending much of the season as one of two main options for the Kings off the bench, Lyles now faces a tough positional battle with Jonas Valančiūnas and Jake LaRavia.

Valančiūnas fills the backup center spot that Lyles occupied for much of the season, and LaRavia provides another wing option who can play the four.

Over the five games, Lyles averaged 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 33.3% from the field and 23.1% from beyond the arc. Over his four games with the Kings, LaRavia averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 45.5% from the field and 28.6% from three.

It feels like if Fultz does crack the rotation, it could come down to a battle between Lyles and LaRavia. It's possible that Doug Christie could shrink everyone's minutes to make room for Fultz, but running a ten-man rotation for the final stretch of the season seems unlikely.

Putting in Fultz for one of the two bigs isn't ideal as it doesn't help with their size issues, but the positional need may overshadow the need for size. Fultz is just 6-foot-4 but has a 6-foot-9 wingspan, which would negate some of the size issues.

I don't envy Doug Christie and the coaching staff. The team has new-found depth that wasn't there before the trade deadline, but no clear-cut top eight or nine-man rotation. If Fultz is going to play, sacrifices will need to be made somewhere. Doug Christie seems ready to do whatever it takes to win, but the question remains if the players feel the same way.

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