{"id":4118,"date":"2025-10-14T15:41:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T15:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/4118\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T15:41:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T15:41:24","slug":"sacramento-kings-could-go-game-by-game-with-5th-starter-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/4118\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento Kings could go game-by-game with 5th starter spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Losing a member of your starting lineup just one week away from the start of the regular season is one thing, but the Sacramento Kings are facing an even steeper uphill battle with the loss of Keegan Murray.<\/p>\n

Murray, who underwent successful surgery this week to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks, leaving the Kings without their best defender for nearly one quarter of the 2025-26 campaign.<\/p>\n

While several questions were already being raised about this unbalanced Sacramento roster, losing Murray has put the Kings\u2019 first-year head coach, Doug Christie, in a seemingly impossible spot.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, Christie told reporters that while Sacramento has several players who can help bridge the gap of what Murray\u2019s absence creates, but added that there is no plug-and-play solution that can fill the former fourth-overall pick\u2019s shoes.<\/p>\n

As for who will take Murray\u2019s spot in the starting lineup next to Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis, Christie said he could make his decision on a game-by-game or matchup-based basis to begin the season, but added that it\u2019s more about who closes the games than starts them.<\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be maybe matchup-based and different things that we gotta think about,\u201d Christie said of the starting lineup situation following Monday\u2019s practice. \u201cBut more than anything, it\u2019s not really about who starts, it\u2019s about who finishes. From night to night, there might be matchups that are beneficial to us, and we\u2019re going to look at all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Christie\u2019s approach to the starting lineup sounds familiar, it\u2019s because his tone resembles that of former Kings head coach Mike Brown, who also preached a similar sentiment during his time in Sacramento: finishing games is more important than starting them.<\/p>\n

Sacramento doesn\u2019t have another 6\u20198 forward with the defensive skillset and three-point shooting ability that Murray possesses. There is no easy answer as to who Christie should slot in his place.<\/p>\n

Trey Lyles, a floor-spacing power forward who typically would be inserted in Murray\u2019s place under these circumstances, is now a member of the EuroLeague\u2019s Real Madrid.<\/p>\n

Jake LaRavia, who was solid for the Kings after being acquired at last season\u2019s trade deadline, accepted an offer with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, even though there was mutual interest between the forward and Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Those two forwards provided Christie and the Kings with depth at the four spot, and with both gone, Sacramento is left with a difficult decision as to who should share the front court with Sabonis.<\/p>\n

If the Kings face a lineup with two bigs, we could see Christie slide rookie center Maxime Raynaud into the lineup. Against an opponent with undersized wings, Keon Ellis or Nique Clifford could see time in the starting unit.<\/p>\n

There is no easy answer for Christie, and unless Sacramento general manager Scott Perry pulls the trigger on a deal for another forward, we could see a revolving door of starts from a group that includes Raynaud, Clifford, Ellis, Dario Saric, Drew Eubanks, Isaac Jones, or others until Murray returns.<\/p>\n

Will the Kings still be in a position to compete for a postseason spot once Murray returns? That\u2019s a question that we\u2019re about to get an answer to in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports<\/p>\n

The Sacramento Kings will be without starting forward Keegan Murray for at least four to six weeks. So\u2026 now what?<\/p>\n

Murray, who suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during Friday\u2019s preseason matchup in Portland, will undergo surgery that will sideline him for the first month-plus of the 2025-26 regular season.<\/p>\n

When it comes to replacing Murray in the starting lineup, there\u2019s no easy choice for first-year head coach Doug Christie.<\/p>\n

Christie has often expressed that he values who finishes a game more than who starts it. However, Kings fans have witnessed Sacramento struggle with sluggish starts in the first quarter, putting them at a disadvantage early on over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

How will the Kings adapt to life without Murray? Who would you put in the starting five on October 22nd when Sacramento faces Phoenix to begin the regular season?<\/p>\n

Let us know by casting your vote below:<\/p>\n

VOTE: Who should the Kings start in place of the injured Keegan Murray?<\/a><\/p>\n

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?<\/p>\n

Sacramento will continue its preseason slate of games on Wednesday night when it returns home for a matchup against the new-look Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center.<\/p>\n

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Clippers action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on\u00a0Game Night\u00a0before a 7 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Preseason<\/p>\n

Wednesday, October 15th\u00a0vs. Los Angeles Clippers \u2013 7 PM PT
\nFriday, October 17th\u00a0@ Los Angeles Lakers \u2013 7 PM PT<\/p>\n

Regular Season<\/p>\n

Wednesday, October 22nd\u00a0\u2013 @ Phoenix Suns \u2013 7 PM PT
\nFriday, October 24th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Utah Jazz \u2013 7 PM PT
\nSunday, October 26th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Los Angeles Lakers \u2013 6 PM PT
\nTuesday, October 28th\u00a0\u2013 @ Oklahoma City Thunder \u2013 5 PM PT
\nWednesday, October 29th\u00a0\u2013 @ Chicago Bulls \u2013 5 PM PT<\/p>\n

Thank you for reading\u00a0SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n

Follow @FCartoscelli3<\/a><\/p>\n

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