A Rookie, a Return and a Reset: Meet the 2026-27 Kings

The rookies: Darius Acuff Jr. (#5), Emanuel Sharp (#34) and Alex Karaban (#33), plus the return of Ben Simmons (#25). Last season: 22-60. Regular season opens Wed Oct. 21 at the Clippers. Darius Acuff Jr. photo: Inside Arkansas, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; frame from Inside Arkansas’ YouTube video, logos cropped out. Alex Karaban photo: White House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Emanuel Sharp: no photo; illustrated monogram only. Golden 1 Center facade photo by Brian Libby, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustration: Sacconews original.

Last season was hard to watch in Sacramento. The Kings finished 22-60, tied for the worst record in the Western Conference. Domantas Sabonis played only 19 games before knee surgery in February, and the roster never looked settled.

The 2026-27 Kings start over with a 19-year-old point guard, a healthy Sabonis, a well-known comeback attempt and a lot of young players who haven't earned their roles yet. The regular season opens Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Clippers' Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The first two home games at Golden 1 Center follow that weekend: Portland on Friday, Oct. 23, and Memphis on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Before any of that, the Kings play their third preseason game Saturday at Golden State (5:30 p.m. PT, NBC Sports California). Our game-day preview has the details. Here's the roster and what's worth watching.

Training-camp depth by role, with jersey numbers (camp roster; numbers can change before the opener). Gold NEW: Darius Acuff Jr. and Ben Simmons. Opener: Wed Oct. 21 at the Clippers. Intuit Dome roof photo by Haruhi8, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Credit: Sacconews original.

The guards: a rookie in charge

The biggest change is at point guard. The Kings took Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas with the No. 7 pick in June. He struggled with his shot at Summer League, but he looked much more comfortable in his preseason debut, scoring 19 points against the Lakers on Oct. 5. He's quick, he's willing to take big shots, and teammates and coaches keep bringing up how calm he is. The Lakers pressed him full court in both preseason games, and he'll see a lot more of that.

Zach LaVine is still the main scorer on the wing. Malik Monk is back in his familiar role as an instant-offense guard. Both have shown up in trade rumors for more than a year, so it's worth keeping an eye on whether this backcourt stays together all season.

Behind them, Nique Clifford, last year's first-round rookie, led the Kings with 23 points in the preseason opener. Second-round rookie Emanuel Sharp (Houston) has impressed with his defense and his willingness to shoot threes. Daeqwon Plowden re-signed in July. Veteran Elfrid Payton, Tristen Newton and two-way guard Adam Flagler are also in camp.

The guard depth is thinner than a year ago. The Kings waived DeMar DeRozan in July, Russell Westbrook retired in August, and Devin Carter was traded to Atlanta in June.

The wild card: Ben Simmons

In September the Kings signed Ben Simmons to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, per ESPN. The three-time All-Star sat out all of 2025-26 to rehab back and leg injuries, and the Kings were the only team to offer him a contract. The plan, according to ESPN, is for the 6-foot-10 Simmons to back up Acuff at point guard and play wherever he's needed, from the 1 through the 5.

Expectations should stay modest. Simmons hasn't been a regular contributor in years, and the Kings have held him out of the first two preseason games. Still, reports from camp have been very positive. If he can defend, rebound and push the ball, he'd give this team something it hasn't had.

The forwards: a long, physical group

Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter and Precious Achiuwa, who re-signed in July, give the Kings size and defense on the wing and at the four. Achiuwa led the team with 18 points in the Oct. 8 preseason loss and also took turns guarding Luka Dončić.

The Kings traded into the end of the first round on draft night to get Alex Karaban (No. 29), the two-time national champion from UConn. He's a smart, fundamentally sound forward who can make an open three. Leaky Black and two-way forward Jonathan Mogbo round out the group. Mogbo played college ball at the University of San Francisco, so the Warriors game is something of a homecoming for him.

The bigs: Sabonis is back

Everything still starts with Domantas Sabonis. The three-time All-Star said at media day that he was cleared in August and is "100%." He played only 10 minutes in the opener before sitting Thursday for undisclosed reasons. So far he and Acuff have looked good together in the pick-and-roll.

Behind him are second-year center Maxime Raynaud (Stanford), who had 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Lakers on Thursday, and Dylan Cardwell, a big rebounder who pulled down 10 boards in the opener.

The bench: Christie's second full season

Doug Christie returns for his second full season as head coach. The former Kings guard took over as interim coach in December 2024 and got the full-time job after that season. Mike Woodson returns as associate head coach. Holdovers Mike Miller, Chris Darnell and Leandro Barbosa are joined this year by Brendan Suhr, a longtime NBA assistant who coached Simmons at LSU, and DJ Ham, promoted from head of player development. General manager Scott Perry begins his second season running the front office.

Outside observers have noted that Christie wasn't Perry's hire. If the season starts badly, expect people to start asking about the coach.

What to watch in 2026-27

1. How fast Acuff grows. Starting a 19-year-old point guard means mistakes, and the preseason has had plenty of turnovers. Watch whether those numbers come down by December.
2. Sabonis' health. He's played very little over the last year and a half. A full, healthy season from him matters more than anything else on this list.
3. Three-point shooting. Through two preseason games the Kings made just 14 threes on 59 attempts. If that doesn't improve, the offense is going to stall.
4. Simmons' role. Is he a useful backup, a starter by midseason, or not much of a factor? Ask again around Thanksgiving.
5. Trade season. LaVine, Monk and Sabonis have all been mentioned in rumors. The roster you see on opening night may not be the one you see at the February trade deadline.

The local angle

After a 60-loss season, the only fair expectation is to see real progress. That means a point guard taking his lumps and getting better, and young players who look like they belong. A play-in spot would count as a big step forward. Promising that would be hype.

There's still plenty for Sacramento fans to look forward to. November is especially home-heavy: 11 of the Kings' 14 games that month are at Golden 1 Center. The Kings also play in the NBA Cup group stage, in a West group with San Antonio, the Lakers, Portland and Golden State.

Opener: Kings at Clippers, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. PT, Intuit Dome.
Home opener: Kings vs. Portland, Friday, Oct. 23, Golden 1 Center.

2026-27 training-camp roster (per the Kings; final 15 and two-way spots not yet set)