The Sacramento Kings may already have their 2026-27 rotation mostly mapped out, but that doesn’t mean every worthy player is going to get a clean runway. With at least one roster spot still open, Doug Christie is still staring at a roster crowded enough that good players could end up squeezed out simply because there are only so many minutes to go around.
That’s why rookie Emanuel Sharp stands out as the one guy the Kings should make room for, even if he doesn’t naturally fit into the early rotation. Sacramento used the 45th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Sharp, a 22-year-old who was widely overlooked despite checking a lot of boxes for a dependable NBA wing.
Sharp spent four seasons at Houston, including his final three years under Kelvin Sampson, and put up 13.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while hitting 38.1% from three. He started for three years and left as the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers and free-throw percentage. That’s the kind of résumé that doesn’t scream flash, but it does scream usefulness.
What makes Sharp so intriguing is the combination of two skills every team wants and every contender leans on: defense and shooting. He was one of college basketball’s better guard defenders and a real weapon from deep, and both traits should travel. Even if he never becomes a featured scorer, he looks built to stick as a 3-and-D guard.
And for a Kings team that finished last in the NBA in three-pointers and had the third-worst defense, that matters.
Sharp backed that up in Summer League, too. In seven games, he averaged 15.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 34.9% from three on 9.0 attempts per contest.
He showed the same edge defensively and didn’t shy away from letting it fly from outside. That’s the kind of showing that tends to get a front office’s attention fast.
The problem for Sharp is simple: there are veterans and other young pieces likely ahead of him when the season opens. LaVine, Monk, and Clifford are all positioned to get the early nods. But that doesn’t mean Sharp should be treated like an afterthought.
If anything, he looks like Sacramento’s best long-term answer at shooting guard. He also fits cleanly next to seventh-overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., who should benefit from having a reliable three-point threat beside him. Sharp can help cover for what Acuff Jr. doesn’t do as well on defense, while Acuff Jr. can create the kind of spacing Sharp thrives in off the ball.
That pairing feels intentional. The Kings drafted Sharp after taking Acuff Jr. for a reason, and there’s no real argument for waiting to see if they work together. The cleanest move is the obvious one: find him minutes now, not later.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Just Revealed A Draft Night Twist Pacers Fans Will Feel
Tyrese Haliburtons draft story had a little more intrigue than most people knew at the time. On a recent revelation, Haliburton said he and his agents reached out to the Phoenix Suns before the 2020 NBA Draft, hoping to land there and team up with Devin Booker, but Phoenix went a different direction and picked Jalen Smith instead. Sacramento took Haliburton 12th overall, setting in motion a career path that eventually led him to Indiana and, later, to the Pacers becoming the franchise cornerstone he is today.
For Kings fans, it is another reminder of how much can change from draft night to now. Haliburton went on to earn multiple All-Star and All-NBA honors after being traded to Indiana, while his latest chapter has been defined by a torn Achilles that cost him the entire 2025-26 season. He is healthy again and preparing for his comeback, leaving the old what-if about Phoenix as just one more twist in a career that has already taken plenty of unexpected turns. [Read more 🡒]
Kings First 10 Games Will Show If This Rebuild Feels Different
The NBAs full 2026-27 schedule gives the Kings an early measuring stick, and the first stretch does not exactly offer a soft landing. Sacramento opens with a mix of difficult test cases and games it will feel like it should take care of, including matchups with the Spurs, Heat, Lakers and Mavericks alongside dates with the Grizzlies, Clippers, Blazers and Pelicans. For a team still trying to prove its rebuild is moving in a different direction, the opening month will say plenty about whether the talent base is finally deep enough to handle a real climb.
Projections have the Kings landing in familiar territory, which is why those first 10 games matter so much. A balanced start would not solve everything, but it would at least hint that Sacramento can absorb tough nights, bank the games it is supposed to win and avoid the early drift that has so often defined rebuilds that never quite take hold. If the Kings can do that, the conversation around this team starts to feel a little different. [Read more 🡒]
Darius Acuff Is Already Forcing A Big Kings Future Debate
Darius Acuff Jr. has already become one of the more interesting long-view conversations around the Kings, even before his first real NBA season takes shape. The rookie point guards Summer League run showed the usual rough edges, but it also gave a glimpse of why analysts and even his former coach see him as a player Sacramento could build around in the years ahead.
For the Kings, the debate is less about whether Acuff belongs in the picture and more about how big a role he can claim as he develops. Projections around him point to a guard who can pile up points and assists at a level that would fit right into the teams future plans, and Acuff has made clear he wants to keep improving and carve out his own legacy rather than just inherit one. [Read more 🡒]