When faced with the prospect of the switchability and quickness of the Golden State Warriors Thursday night, Dave Joerger made a change to his starting lineup, slotting Bogdan Bodanovic and Harrison Barnes in the forward slots, moving Nemanja Bjelica to the bench. There was some debate during the game if this was simply a matchup-based decision, rather than a permanent one, but Dave Joerger confirmed this would be his new starting five moving forward during the post-game press conference.

The first instinct when hearing the news is likely to make a joke about the Kings finally finding a quality small forward and immediately shifting him to the four-spot; however, the decision puts four of the King’s five best players on the floor at the outset of each game, something they were previously lacking. Nemanja Bjelica, aside from a couple of hot shooting games, has been downright bad for the past couple of months and a change has been needed for some time. Of course, the argument can be made to start Marvin Bagley and Willie Cauley-Stein as the two traditional big men, but that would offer some of the same flexibility and shooting issues as Joerger’s traditional starters: neither big man can easily switch out onto the perimeter or knock down three-pointers with regularity. Starting Hield, Bogdanovic, and Barnes on the perimeter provides a legitimate threat from deep to counter collapsing defenses and allows for a switch-heavy defense when needed.

The smallest of small samples sizes also supports the change. Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, Barnes, and Cauley-Stein have played 28 minutes together since the trade deadline, recording an offensive rating of 112.3 and a defensive rating of just 100, equaling a net rating of 12.3. In their short time together, that group has also managed to outscore opponents by 11 points. Conversely, swapping Bogdanovic for Bjelica has gone quite poorly. That lineup has been outscored by 9 points in 33 minutes, posting a net rating of -11.8. The sampling for both factions is far too limited to definitely declare one superior to the other, but the data trends support the adjustment.

In the past, observers have shown frustration with Dave Joerger’s rigid rotations, but his decision to start Harrison Barnes alongside Bogdan Bogdanovic, not only displays his willingness to make modifications when necessary, it’s also the correct decision. The move allows the young Kings to play at an even faster pace, continues to provide shooting for De’Aaron Fox, replaces a poor defender with an above-average one, and grants the unit a flexibility far greater than the previous starting five. Questions still remain regarding Nemanja Bjelica’s place in the rotation and the possibility of starting Marvin Bagley in place of Willie Cauley-Stein, but for now, Dave Joerger has found his starting five.