Who Will Win Kings 5th Starting Spot Between Hunter, Raynaud
· Yahoo Sports
Four of the five starters are set for the Sacramento Kings; the fifth spot is a competition between De’Andre Hunter and Maxime Raynaud.
Darius Acuff Jr. and Zach LaVine round out the backcourt. Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis occupy two frontcourt spots. The question Sacramento must answer is whether to insert Hunter as a floor-spacing wing who can guard on the perimeter or bet that Raynaud’s offensive skill set doesn’t overlap with Sabonis in a two-big lineup.
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Chris Watkins said on "The Matt and Kayla Show" on Sactown Sports 1140 that he favors Hunter becoming the fifth starter. He wants to follow the same blueprint that helped the New York Knicks win their first NBA Finals in over 50 years.
“Keegan and De’Andre Hunter are your OG (Anunoby) and Mikal (Bridges),” Watkins said. “Obviously, there’s levels to it, but just using that as the one-for-one makes the most sense for how basketball is played.”
Sacramento trotting out two wings for shooting and perimeter defense helps mitigate the backcourt’s defensive deficiencies. Acuff is undersized at 6-foot-3, and LaVine is not a great isolation defender. The duo will struggle against quick, crafty perimeter scorers, like an Anthony Edwards or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Hunter could struggle as well, but has the strength to hold his ground with his 6-foot-7 frame when contact is initiated. He turns what would be an easy bucket into a tough, contested shot.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers forward struggled to shoot last season at 30.5% from three. It seems like an outlier year, given he’s shot over 35% from beyond the arc seven of his first eight seasons.
Raynaud’s fit with the starters is clunky. He and Sabonis have redundant skill sets, as both operate in the pick-and-roll. The three-time All-Star is a much better playmaker, too, averaging 4.1 assists last season.
Sacramento would surely dominate the possession battle with a massive frontcourt. The duo, statistically, combine for 18.9 rebounds.
However, one of them would have to branch out to the perimeter and space the floor. That’s not a skill in their arsenal; Raynaud experimented in the Las Vegas Summer League, going 2-for-5 in a blowout loss to the Washington Wizards.
If the shooting is real, then Raynaud starting is not out of the question. The 7-foot Frenchman will have training camp and preseason to show his willingness to shoot the three and make a lineup with Sabonis fit.
Hunter is an established veteran who understands his role, but Raynaud is a rising young player coming off an All-Rookie Second Team honor. It’s not an easy decision for coach Doug Christie to make.
He must decide quickly; the NBA has dashed Sacramento’s hopes of tanking for a top pick with the new “3-2-1” lottery reform. The team needs to win games to avoid finishing with a bottom-three record next season.