Kings Elevate Russell Westbrook to Starting Point Guard, Move Dennis Schröder to Bench
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The Sacramento Kings will hand the starting point-guard duties to Russell Westbrook when they face Minnesota on Friday, head coach Doug Christie told reporters, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Westbrook replaces Dennis Schröder, who had opened all 12 games this season. The change follows consecutive defeats on Tuesday and Wednesday that dropped Sacramento to 3–9. After both losses, Christie said he was weighing adjustments to his first unit.
Although Westbrook has already started six contests, those appearances came as a small-ball forward alongside Schröder while Keegan Murray recovered from thumb surgery. Friday will mark Westbrook’s first start at point guard for the Kings.
Schröder, 32, joined Sacramento on a three-year, $44 million deal in July after winning EuroBasket 2025 MVP and leading Germany to its second gold medal in three years. His regular-season production has dipped sharply during the club’s current four-game skid: he is averaging 3.5 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 14.8 percent (4-of-27) in that span, and the Kings have been outscored heavily in his 100 minutes on the court.
Westbrook, 37, signed a non-guaranteed, one-year veteran-minimum contract in mid-October and has outperformed his backcourt teammate to date. Through 12 games, he is posting 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.0 steal per night on .440/.397/.758 shooting across 27.8 minutes.
Source: Hoops Rumors
