Kevin Huerter, Sacramento Kings
The facts: The Sacramento Kings have a -7.9 net rating with Kevin Huerter on the floor
The case for Kevin Huerter: In large part because the Sacramento Kings want to keep Malik Monk in a role he's much more comfortable in - coming off the bench - the team has needed Kevin Huerter to remain in the starting lineup. And with his reputation as a starter for the team in previous seasons, he probably still deserves the benefit of the doubt. The Kings have not had a terrible start to the season but it's certainly been hit or miss on most nights. While Huerter's production has taken a hit each of the last two seasons, he's a good player to have in a role next to De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan.
For the most part, Huerter's not a high-maintenance shooting guard. Even though he's the starting two-guard, he's been embracing the role of playing off the rest of the bigger names in the lineup. Huerter still manages to get his shots but is also a player who has proven to buy-in no matter what the role. And at least so far, that's what we've seen this season from Huerter. In fairness, at a certain point, the Kings may have to revisit the idea of Huerter as the starter if the results aren't great.
The cast against Kevin Huerter: The argument could easily be made that Kevin Huerter is no longer a starting guard in the league. There were a few seasons earlier in his career when his offense was too good not to experiment with him being a starter. However, over the past two seasons, Huerter has struggled with that level of consistency. And if that offensive efficiency isn't going to be there, it doesn't make a ton of sense to continue to roll him out as a starter (especially with his struggles on the defensive end of the floor).
In what should come as no surprise, the Kings are a better team with Huerter off the floor. And when he's not making shots, it's hard to argue for Huerter being on the floor at all, much less him starting. More than 60 percent of Huerter's shots are from deep. So far this season, Huerter is shooting just 33 percent from 3-point range. That's not ideal for a team that just needs their starting shooting guard to fill the gaps in 3-point shooting. Maybe the Kings will give Keon Ellis a shot to start before the end of the season. Don't be surprised if they do.