Kings push forward with trio of strong centers as playoffs in horizon

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From here on out, the Kings are going with the three-headed monster in the paint. Richaun Holmes, Harry Giles and Alex Len give the team three distinct playing styles, but the trio also gives the team effort, energy and six fouls.

“We have great depth at the five,” De’Aaron Fox said. “Guys who bring different things, but all three bring a lot of energy.”

Against the Portland Trail Blazers, coach Luke Walton used all three, which won’t always be the case. Some nights Walton will stick with a tight rotation of Holmes and Giles. Other times he’ll need Len’s size. 

“If one either gets in foul trouble or doesn’t have energy at that time, we have another guy who can do it,” Fox added. “It’s definitely great having another guy like that.”

Holmes is a pick-and-roll specialist on both ends of the court. He was the Kings’ most consistent player this season before injuring his right shoulder in early January. He missed 25 games with a torn labrum, but he was finally able to make his return against the Blazers.

"He was a little rusty, his hands, everything was probably a little fast for him out there," Walton said. "The energy he plays with is what we love about him. Every single play he is relentless on the glass."

In 19 minutes of action, Holmes managed to score 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the team's 123-111 victory in Portland.

With Holmes on the shelf, Giles stepped in and provided something completely different for Sacramento. An aggressive big with range out to the 18-20-foot range, Giles is growing into his role as a high post big. 

He can pass, and his rebounding and defense have steadily increased as he’s played additional minutes. He’s started 12 of the last 13 games for Sacramento and his confidence is building with every opportunity.

Over his last eight games, Giles is averaging 12.8 points and seven rebounds in 23.8 minutes, while shooting 60.3 percent from the floor. He's cleaned up a lot of his turnover and foul issues that plagued him early in his career and there is an upward arc to his progression and development as a player.

While Giles has stepped in and played well in Holmes absence, there were still matchups that he just isn't physically capable of handling as a 21-year-old player. That is where the addition of Len has really helped the Kings.

Since joining Sacramento at the trade deadline, Len has stepped in and become a rim protector and rebounder. The 7-footer is a no-nonsense big that sets hard screens and has no problem mixing it up.

“We have three bigs that are versatile in their own way,” Fox said. “Just having [Holmes] back just adds depth to our frontcourt.”

Len's numbers don't jump off the page, but his impact has been tremendous for the Kings as they've strung together a nice run. 

[RELATED: Len shows Blazers that Kings won't be pushed around]

Holmes is the rim runner, Giles is the passer and Len is the enforcer. Some nights Walton will use two of them, sometimes he’ll use all three.

“I think we bring three different things, like, I bring size, physicality, Richaun is more explosive, HG, he can pass the ball so he’s more versatile," Len said. "We just bring different looks, so it depends on which team we’re playing and then matchups. We all can bring value to the team.”

With unique players like Pascal Siakam and Zion Williamson rolling into Sacramento, the Kings’ coach now has multiple looks to throw out on the floor. He can make adjustments to help the flow of the offense, increase his rebounding or provide a goalie at the rim. 

Walton will need to find minutes for all three to keep them fully engaged, but this is a great issue to have.

“We’ve just got to be selfless about the minutes, come in, play as hard as we can and just focus on winning and winning will take care of everything.” Len said.

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