In another down season for the Sacramento Kings, head coach David Joerger announced upcoming changes after Monday night's loss. Joerger told reporters he will rest two veteran players every game going forward over the rest of the season.
The move makes sense for a Kings team that sits last in the Western Conference with a 13-30 record and the third-worst record in the NBA. Given the depth of young, promising talent on the roster, Joerger's decision to turn to the young players and give them experience 43 games into the season seems about the right time of year.
His decision obviously carries fantasy implications. For those in season-long fantasy basketball leagues, the two players who will feel the biggest impact from this are Zach Randolph and George Hill. Both veterans are significantly owned in ESPN leagues and eat up chunks of minutes at positions where Sacramento boasts a lot of young depth they want to challenge and bring along.
As a result, Randolph and Hill will now see their minutes and game action cut down over the coming weeks and could prove to be players that fantasy owners will need to monitor before each game to determine if they are in the lineup. Both players are also trade candidates and while a trade might help Hill's value, Randolph would almost certainly land in a situation where he would be in a winning atmosphere but lose minutes and his fantasy value would vanish.
For dynasty owners who own De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic or Skal Labissiere, this comes as good news. After stretches of inconsistent playing time and minutes, the young core will now receive more opportunities to shine and develop on the court. While none of them offer significant fantasy value right now in non-keeper leagues, Fox is worth adding for his potential upside once he settles in and Hield is a player to monitor for his three-point shooting.