Kings Mailbag: Massive Bench Turnover

The Sacramento Kings made some serious adjustments to their bench depth this offseason.

Apr 2, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) reacts after making a basket during the second quarter against the LA Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the third edition of the Sacramento Kings mailbag with Will Z, where I attempt to find stats and information to answer questions submitted by fans from X (formerly Twitter), Threads, and Instagram.

Make sure to catch up on the previous mailbag articles:

Kings Mailbag: Keegan Murray's Year 3 Expectations

Kings Mailbag: Is Lack of Size a Problem?

Today’s question comes from @GarloughKeithatt on X:

A bench analysis, players that departed compared to additions.

— KEG1964 (@GarloughKeith) August 3, 2024

The Kings bench is still in flux with the last starting spot up for grabs, but even with the uncertainties, the back end of the roster got a makeover during the offseason.

Players Out:

• Davion Mitchell
• Chris Duarte
• Sasha Vezenkov
• Kessler Edwards
• JaVale McGee

Players In:

• Jalen McDaniels
• Devin Carter
• Jordan McLaughlin
• Orlando Robinson

Davion, Duarte, and Sasha all played meaningful minutes last season, with 1101, 719, and 511 total minutes each, respectively. That totals to 2,331 minutes, which is no small chunk of change throughout a season.

The trio of Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, and Keon Ellis will likely cut into the open minutes, but there are spots to be filled from the departed players.

When looking at the turnover from last year to this year, what stands out is the Kings continuing to emphasize defense. The styles of players are almost identical. Defensive-minded guards and wings and a rim-running center.

The only missing piece is Sasha, but his spot on the roster always felt a little redundant with Trey Lyles on the roster.

While none of the new additions will likely light it up throughout the season, they should be able to contribute on the offensive side of the ball, especially McLaughlin and Carter, who shot 47.2 and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc last season, respectively. Both marks are higher than Davion’s 36.1 percent and Duarte’s 34.6 percent.

Where JaVale McGee brought veteran leadership, Robinson bring youth and athleticism, something the Kings need behind Domantas Sabonis and Alex Len. 

The biggest question mark will be Jalen McDaniels, who shot just 16.9 percent from deep last year. His career 32.2 would pair well with his defense and should work with the right rotations. Thinking of McDaniels as a replacement for Kessler Edwards puts less pressure on the move. If it works out, fantastic, but if not, it won’t destroy the hopes of the season.

As seen last season, the back end of a roster can make or break a season if injuries hit at the wrong time. At a glance, it doesn’t look like the Kings did much to bolster their deep depth, but looking at it more shows promise.

Bringing in defensive players is great, and something the Kings have been trying to do for years. Bringing in defensive players with offensive upside is even better, and that’s something I think the Kings did this offseason.

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