Kings head coach Dave Joerger will be playing his younger guys more and veterans less for the foreseeable future.
During the offseason, the Kings brought in Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, and George Hill to help provide a strong veteran presence to a young Sacramento team. With the Kings 13-30, and in last place in the Western Conference, the organization has decided to give its veteran players games off on a consistent basis.
On Monday, Joerger said 2-3 veteran rotation players will sit each game. He also indicated a schedule would be determined so players know when they will and won’t play.
Joerger says postgame going forward at least two of the vets will sit each game. Could be 3 some nights. Randolph and Carter were held out tonight
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) January 16, 2018
Joerger said all of his vets are rotation players on a playoff team and it’s not an easy conversation to have, telling them they won’t play. Said he’ll map out schedule to give vets notice on weekly basis as to when they won’t play
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) January 16, 2018
With 43 games played, the decision makes sense for the Kings as it’s time to get a sense of who can be a foundation piece for the future. That means, going forward, we should see lots of De’Aaron Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, Skal Labissiere, and Justin Jackson. The strategy should also ensure the Kings have a high pick in this year’s draft.
