The Sacramento Kings are leaning into their size, and they didn’t waste any time showing it.
In their first preseason game against the Lakers, Doug Christie rolled out multiple double big lineups, a move that says plenty about how seriously the Kings are treating their frontcourt depth. Sacramento has plenty of big men on the roster, which made its earlier pursuit of Jalen Duren seem a little puzzling. But the way Christie used his personnel against Los Angeles made the plan look a lot clearer: this team wants to get big and stay big.
Most of the roster was available for that preseason opener. Malik Monk, Ben Simmons, and Keegan Murray were the only players held out as the coaches chose to rest them. That opened the door for Precious Achiuwa to start at power forward alongside Domantas Sabonis at center, forming the first double big look of the night.
Sacramento’s second double big lineup came later when the Kings made a major substitution. Maxime Raynaud entered at power forward and Dylan Cardwell took over at center.
The pairing didn’t click immediately, but once they settled in, they played really well together. It was another sign that Christie is willing to put serious size on the floor this season.
That approach makes sense with what the Kings have on hand. Sacramento has four solid centers, and three of them can also slide over to power forward.
That gives Christie plenty of different double big combinations to work with, especially when Sabonis is on the floor. The other bigs will need to help him defensively at times, and this setup gives the coaching staff options for how to do that.
It also opens things up for Darius Acuff as he settles into his role as the primary point guard. Different bigs bring different skill sets, and that creates a wider range of possibilities for spacing, facilitation, and scoring. The Kings can mix and match in a way that should keep defenses guessing.
And the benefits don’t stop there. Double big lineups can create cleaner looks for the players tasked with scoring, and Nique Clifford took advantage of that spacing to post one of his most productive games as a pro. That kind of room should help other shooters, too.
For this roster, doubling down on size looks like the right move. It plays to the Kings’ strengths, helps cover some individual weaknesses, and gives rookies and sophomores a chance to grow together on the court.
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