After landing a then two-time All-Star in Domantas Sabonis ahead of the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline, the Sacramento Kings have transformed into a serious contender.
With the duo of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, this may have been possible due to their skill level. However, it was an untenable situation. Both Fox and Haliburton are lead guards who need the ball in their hands. To make matters even more complicated, Haliburton was the better passer and off-ball threat, but he didn’t consistently light up the scoreboard.
The solution the Kings found was to send Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers, where he’s had a remarkable ascent. Despite how well Haliburton has played since Sacramento sent him on his way though, they’re unlikely to be kicking themselves for the decision. Fox has taken his game to the next level in every area. Sabonis is probably even better than they imagined he would be and may be the key to their offensive success.
What Kings’ Domantas Sabonis Needs To Comfortably Retire In Sacramento
Recently, HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto conducted an exclusive interview with Sabonis. The Lithuanian big man answered several questions about the team. However, what stuck out the most may have been what he was asked about himself.
Can he see himself retiring with the Kings?
“Yeah, of course. They’ve only been nice. It’s been amazing,” Sabonis responds. “The fans have been awesome. As a player, you always want to build a legacy somewhere, and you can’t do it if you’re not in one place and doing great things for that team. Obviously, it depends on my performance and the team’s performance, but that definitely would really be a cool thing.”
Central To Sacramento’s Success
Again, Sabonis has become central to the Kings’ success.
Since being traded by the Pacers, he’s averaged 19.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. His passes may not always be as flashy as his father’s. Nonetheless, he’s been the fulcrum of the offense by virtue of his usefulness in dribble handoffs (DHOs).
An inside-outside scorer, he’s made 73.9 percent of his shots within three feet of the rim and 36.4 percent of his 3s since his arrival. This efficiency makes him ultra-reliable, yes. However, it also enhances the utility of Sacramento’s DHOs, helping create crevices for slashers like Fox to slip through.
There are holes in Sabonis’s game though.
He’s a bit too turnover-prone, finishing in the top-10 in total turnovers the past two seasons. In fact, in 2023-24, he was ranked second in total turnovers with 272. He’s too handsy as a defender, racking up fouls like they were on sale at Sam’s Club. For the past two seasons, he’s finished in the top-two in total fouls. In 2022-23, he led the NBA in personal fouls with 279.
Then there are the issues with his rim-protection.
Though there are shot-blockers who haven’t been uber-athletic, they often have the size to be intimidating enforcers. At 6-foot-10 and 240, Sabonis isn’t exactly a small fry, but he lacks the ideal physical profile of a rim-protector. The consequence is that teams don’t fear foraying into the paint. Because the Kings don’t have the most reliable perimeter defenders, this increases the pressure on Sabonis and the defense as a whole.
Complements To The Chef
Looking at everything that comes with Sabonis though, it’s clear that Sacramento needs to make more of an effort to complement the 28-year-old.
While Sabonis has been gushing over veteran DeMar DeRozan’s scoring ability, body of work, and basketball IQ, the newcomer will give him more work to do defensively. DeRozan could feasibly play well off of handoffs, but that isn’t his game. Frankly, the Kings probably would’ve been better off making a hard run at Paul George when he became a free agent. During the season, they may also need to consider moving DeRozan for a more fitting wing or a center they failed to bring in this offseason.
Credit should be given to Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and president Monte McNair for trying to create a championship-contender. That’s what a team with players as talented as Fox and Sabonis is supposed to do. However, they may have looked more at the hype surrounding the player they brought in than the fit in DeRozan’s case.
If they want Sabonis (and perhaps even Fox) to retire with the Kings though, they’ll need to do a bit better than that.
