Late-season injuries fast-tracked rookie development, while the Ben Simmons signing and Jonathan Mogbo’s defensive versatility have transformed Sacramento’s bench into a formidable asset for a grueling season.
An injury-plagued season threw the Sacramento Kings bench players into the fire, fast-tracking their development while the stars prioritized their recovery.
Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford averaged over 30 minutes in March and April, while Dylan Cardinal cracked over 20 minutes. Those opportunities weren't available several months earlier, as their teammates were healthy.
They got valuable in-game experience that summer league, five-on-five and training camp cannot replicate. Their late-season ascension has quietly strengthened Sacramento's depth heading into the new season.
Ethan Minton, Kings writer for The Lead, did a mailbag answering fans' questions about the team. He ended the mailbag on a positive note, highlighting that a healthy Kings team is formidable.
"The Kings are quietly becoming a very deep team," Minton wrote. "This reader wrote this response before the Kings signed Simmons, and he can play the point or forward. Not to mention, two-way players like Mogbo add their own skills to the equation."
Sacramento had limited spending power, leading to a quiet offseason, but general manager Scott Perry made key additions on low salaries.
He won the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, signing him on a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
Simmons fits the archetype Perry sought in the offseason: a backup playmaker for when rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. sits. The 6-foot-10 point forward towers over smaller defenders; he sees how the defense reacts and how the team's plays develop.
He can thread the needle in tight spaces and make complex reads that high-level playmakers do consistently. The 30-year-old's strongest attribute is the grab-and-go, pushing the offense into transition for fast-break buckets.
The Kings also added former Toronto Raptors forward Jonathan Mogbo on a two-way deal on July 2. Mogbo is a defensive-minded forward, bolstering another weakness that plagued the team.
He had a stellar summer league, prompting Minton to suggest Sacramento should promote him to a standard contract.
Mogbo opened the Las Vegas Summer League with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in the Kings’ victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sacramento can use his two-way versatility during back-to-backs, when the veterans are likely resting one. Depth is key to stacking wins in an 82-game regular season, especially when players are injured.
Perry drafted Raynaud and Clifford, and signed Cardwell in his first year as the team's general manager. He's built a solid foundation that can propel the Kings out of a rebuild sooner rather than later.
The stars -- Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray -- will dominate most of the headlines, but the depth could be an underrated key to success next season.
