Breaking down Kings' roster heading into 2019-2020 NBA season opener

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PHOENIX -- The Sacramento Kings kick off the 2019-20 season on the road against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday evening. After an unexpected 39-43 finish to last season, the Kings appear to be a team on the rise in a very talented Western Conference.

Head coach Luke Walton was brought in to give the team a fresh look. He’s revamped the entire coaching staff, but the plan still is for the Kings to push the tempo and run their opponents off the floor.

General manager Vlade Divac and his front office had a busy offseason. They’ve revamped the roster, the coaching staff and even locked up one of their young players with a massive new contract extension.

Pregame starts on NBC Sports California at 6:30 p.m. PST and the season tips off at 7.

Here is a look at the Kings' roster heading into the opener.

New Faces

Trevor Ariza, Cory Joseph, Dewayne Dedmon, Richaun Holmes, Justin James, Wenyen Garbriel, Kyle Guy (Two-Way), DaQuan Jeffries

Despite keeping the core together, the Kings have turned over a large percentage of their roster this season. They have six new roster players, including four who will play in the rotation on opening day. Dedmon will start at center, while Ariza, Joseph and Holmes make up 60 percent of the team’s second unit.

James is likely to spend plenty of time with the Stockton Kings and Gabriel was a late add to the roster after spending last season as one of the team’s two-way players.

The Starters

PG: De’Aaron Fox
SG: Buddy Hield
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Marvin Bagley
C: Dewayne Dedmon

Fox took a tremendous leap in production in his second NBA season and there is hope around Sacramento that he’s ready to take another big step forward in Year 3. He’ll start alongside Hield, who just signed a new four-year, $86 million extension on Monday.

Barnes is back on a new four-year, $85 million deal and will play both forward positions this season. After spending last year coming off the bench as a rookie, Bagley joins the starters this year. The talented 20-year-old is bigger, stronger and has expanded his game during the offseason.

Dedmon spent last season in the Atlanta Hawks’ uptempo offense. He replaces Willie Cauley-Stein, who signed with the Warriors over the offseason. The veteran center can protect the rim and he shot 38.2 percent from long range last season, which should help space the floor.

The Second Unit

PG: Cory Joseph
SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF: Trevor Ariza
PF: Nemanja Bjelica
C: Richaun Holmes

This is one of the stronger second units in the NBA. Joseph is one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA. He’ll pair with Bogdanovic in the backcourt, who is coming off a tremendous breakout performance at the FIBA World Cup and is healthy coming into the season for the first time in his three years in the league.

Vlade Divac added veteran depth at small forward with Ariza. The 34-year-old is long, active and has been known as a solid 3-and-D wing throughout his 15-year career. He’ll pair with Bjelica at the forward position, which gives the team plenty of floor spacing.

With Harry Giles missing parts of the summer and most of training camp, Holmes will get the first look at the back-up center spot. He’s an efficient offensive player and a physical, high-motor rim protector on the defensive end.

The Rest

Yogi Ferrell, Wenyen Gabriel, Justin James, Kyle Guy, DaQuan Jeffries

Ferrell went from the forgotten man to a major scoring option off the bench for Sacramento during the preseason. He’s lightning in a bottle if the Kings need a quick pick me up.

[RELATED: Buddy, Kings happy to end contract drama before season]

Gabriel is a long, super athlete that earned his way onto the roster with his offseason workouts and strong play in camp. He’s organizational depth at both forward positions at this point, but the Kings are grooming him for the future.

Divac selected James and Guy in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, and both are expected to spend plenty of time in Stockton with the team’s G League team. Same goes for Jeffries, who was claimed off waivers on Monday and signed to a two-way deal.

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