After collecting another loss in the 2025-2026 season, the Sacramento Kings were left wondering what went wrong. This time, the problems were on the bench as they grossly underdelivered, due in part to the absence of Dennis Schorder. That lack of productivity cost the Kings a win.
In most games, the Kings' bench offers solid support to the team's starters. They're not the best in the league, but they usually provide a decent base for the starters to work from. Now, it's important to note that this doesn't always lead to victories. Still, their bench is usually reliable.
Not so much against the Jazz. There were five active players on the bench that game, and four of them scored a grand total of nine combined points. The fifth guy was Maxime Raynaud, and [he had a career-high 19 points](https://aroyalpain.com/maxime-raynaud-had-career-best-game-showed-kings-their-future). Raynaud more than doubled the output of the rest of the bench.
Precious Achiuwa, Nique Clifford, and Keon Ellis were all quiet that game, though the strangest was Malik Monk. His season average is 12.7 points per game, but he only picked up five against the Jazz. It's not his lowest scoring outing of the season, but it's still well off where he usually is.
What happened to the Kings' bench
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For the most part, the starters did their jobs that night. Four out of five of them scored in double digits, including [Zach LaVine who shot for 34 points](https://aroyalpain.com/zach-lavine-made-major-change-kings-recent-jazz-loss). On top of that, Russell Westbrook picked up yet another triple-double while Keegan Murray collected a double-double.
The only starter who was quiet was Drew Eubanks, who only scored two points. Like the rest of the bench, he was wildly outscored by a surging Maxime Raynaud. It would be worth looking at starting Raynaud while Domantas Sabonis is injured, but that might be too much pressure for the rookie.
Much like the Kings' previous loss to the Suns, Dennis Schroder was out injured. He has become an integral part of the bench and one of their most reliable scorers. The combination of him being out alongside an unusually low-scoring Monk were huge contributing factors to the loss.
At the same time, the Kings should be able to count on players like Achiuwa and Ellis to pick up the slack when the bench is undermanned and quiet. It's been proven time and time again that a deep, reliable bench wins games and championships. That rebuild can't come soon enough.