King has played 51 games of Super rugby since making his debut for the Crusaders in 2003, but in those 51 appearances he has only started 15 games.
In the rest of them - 36 - he has come off the bench.
"I'm loving starting.
"It's a real buzz to get out there at the start of the game and for myself to get consistent game time," he said.
King (27) said getting more minutes undoubtedly helped his game.
He started the first game off the bench but was pressed into action after half an hour when Jamie Mackintosh went down with a knee injury and King has stayed in the side since.
"It's bad luck on Jamie but working out for me.
"It's hard coming on as a substitute as you never know when you're going to be needed.
"You could be on after 10 minutes, or have to wait until the last 20 minutes."
King had a stand-out match last week against his former side, the Crusaders, at one stage sending All Black Ben Franks high into the air in a scrum. King said that was just one of those scrums when it all clicked.
"That was when everyone was doing their job properly and we just got the edge over them.
"But you can't do that all the time or you'll be penalised."
King earned praise from coach Glenn Moore who said King had worked hard on his game and was a good technical prop. King, starting on the loosehead tonight, will be looking to make his mark on big Chiefs prop Ben May.
May has a strong running game but King said he too had been trying hard to get round the field.
"The new rules have made the game a whole lot faster.
"The ball is in play for another 10 to 15 minutes a game.
"You've got to be a lot fitter and a lot faster.
"There are not as many scrums and you have to get round the field a lot more. You have to get through a lot more work on defence."
King was looking forward to getting back on his home paddock tonight, having joined the Stags at the end of 2007 from Otago. He first played Super rugby in 2003, playing three games off the bench for a star-studded Crusaders side.
"I was the new boy then and they had something like 17 All Blacks so there was plenty to learn from.
"But here is good. Everyone gets on board and works hard.
"I've been around for a few years now and the body takes a bit longer to recover with all the knocks and niggles you get over the years."
King has a big event coming up, with his wife, Emma, pregnant with their first child, due in about seven weeks.
Both teams go into the match fresh off their first victories, and are slowly working into form.
The Chiefs have had the edge on the Highlanders in recent years, with the Highlanders not having beaten the Hamilton-based side since 2003.
Too many times when playing the Chiefs, the Highlanders have looked desperate, made costly errors and been out of the game by half-time. The Highlanders need to be clinical and dominate territory as the Chiefs are the sort of team which relies on momentum.
The Chiefs are eighth on the table and the Highlanders 12th, although there is only one point between the teams.
The Highlanders attack has improved this year and the defence has been good but they need a big game from Tim Boys, making his first start for the year - Alando Soakai is rested after a torrid few weeks - while captain Jimmy Cowan will want to make progress after his first full game last week.
Fullback Israel Dagg has a slight leg twinge and a decision on whether he plays will be made this morning. If he does not play, winger Ben Smith will switch to fullback and Kendrick Lynn will come on to the wing.
A crowd of between 5000 and 6000 is expected at the match, with conditions likely to be fine.
