Defining Kings players’ roles after 5-2 start

Entering the third week of the regular season, Michael Malone has strictly adhered to a 10-man rotation. As the schedule strolls through winter, we should expect the Sacramento Kings’ head coach to tighten the belt on his distribution of minutes, but for now, this is how every player on the roster is being used.

Starter – DeMarcus Cousins

The foundation of the offense and defense, the only thing keeping Cousins off the floor is foul trouble and a bit of exhaustion after a long summer with Team USA.

Starter – Jason Thompson

Thompson has bought into Malone’s mantra by accepting a reduced role in the offense and embracing his job as a defensive stopper. His defense on traditional low post power forwards and stretch fours has enabled him to log consistent minutes.

Starter – Rudy Gay

If Cousins is the foundation, then Gay is the roof. Option 1A in the offense is a borderline All-Star talent who doesn’t surrender too many points on the other end. Malone leans on the small forward heavily.

Starter – Ben McLemore

McLemore’s much improved defense has helped him earn his keep in the starting five, although his shooting has warmed up recently. Nik Stuaskas and Ramon Sessions were threats to steal his minutes early in the season, but their own troubles served to help the second-year shooting guard find his niche as the third or fourth scoring option.

Starter – Darren Collison

The starting point guard position is Collison’s for the foreseeable future, as his on-ball defense and willingness to pass have exceeded all expectations. The only downer for the ball handler so far is his outside shooting, where he’s struggling tremendously behind the arc compared to his career numbers.

6th man – Carl Landry

The Kings’ second unit would be in shambles without Landry, who’s become the team’s second-best post scorer after Cousins. His efficiency, craftiness and smarts are hard to replicate and the power forward should play no less than 20 minutes a night from here on out.

7th man – Nik Stauskas

The rookie hasn’t set the world on fire yet, but he’s entrenched in the rotation thanks to great decision-making and his shooting prowess. Stauskas will occasionally get yanked early for his deficiencies on defense, as we witnessed in games against the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, but he’s held his own when matched up with traditional shooting guards.

8th man – Omri Casspi

Casspi is looking like the Kings’ most cunning offseason addition after drawing almost no interest on the free agent market. The forward has abandoned his jumpshot in favor of drives to the rim, which has exponentially upped his efficiency. Throw in his hustling defense, and Malone has an wing off the bench he can trust.

9th man – Reggie Evans

As far as a scrapper goes, Evans is a coach’s dream. He’s a rebounder in the Dennis Rodman mold, and he enjoys setting screens and dishing the pain. The big man struggles to score, but his teammates are more than happy to share the burden. When Thompson needs rest, Evans is the de facto backup center.

10th man – Ramon Sessions

In training camp, Sessions was a dark horse candidate to start, but that was a long time ago. Collison seized the job, and then the journeyman was seen as an asset off the bench, but his contributions have predominantly hurt the team. Sessions is struggling to take care of the ball, and defensively he has been a turnstile. His role may be in jeopardy with Ray McCallum waiting in the wings.

11th man – Ray McCallum

McCallum is the Kings’ perimeter stopper off the bench, and more than capable of running the offense for stretches and creating shots for himself. After rarely playing in the preseason, the second-year pro has made brief appearances to provide energy and slow down opposing guards, and the fans are beginning to clamor for him to supplant Sessions as the backup point if the veteran continues to flounder.

12th man – Derrick Williams

Entering his contract year, Williams was supposed to shed the inconsistency and become more assertive on both sides of the ball. Instead, Casspi’s heady play has relegated the former second overall pick to garbage time, and the forward’s future past this season in Sacramento looks bleak.

13th man – Ryan Hollins

During games, Hollins is a professional male cheerleader. In practice, the lanky, defensive-minded center serves as a useful body for scout teams. Hollins won’t see meaningful minutes unless a frontcourt player gets injured.