Domantas Sabonis does so many things well for the Kings. He’s a model of consistency in scoring and rebounding, and he initiates the offense more than any center in the league not named Jokic. I always want to remember those positives before beginning to question the ways Domas can continue to improve. With the caveats out of the way, can Sabonis become a respectable enough three point shooter to truly space the floor and stretch a defense?
Domas is not a bad three point shooter. In the last two seasons, he’s shot 37.3% and 37.9% from three, respectively. The issue is the volume, just 1.1 attempts per game each of the last two season. Sabonis isn’t a bad three point shooter, but he is a hesitant three point shooter. If a defense leaves him open, he might take a three and hit as a respectable clip, but he’s still just as likely to charge into the defense or swing the ball elsewhere. Shooting threes has often been a last resort for Domas.
Defenses have been more than happy to leave Sabonis open beyond the arc. NBA.com’s tracking data shows that 83 of Sabonis’ 86 threes last season came when he was Wide Open, meaning his closest defender was 6+ feet away. Sabonis made those wide open threes at a rate of 38.6%. The other three attempted were Open, meaning a defender was still 4-6 feet away.
Sabonis does so many things well that I understand why he hasn’t prioritized becoming a stretch big. If Sabonis can even get truly comfortable, where he can knock down 40%+ and take those open shots without hesitation and a lengthy windup, it completely changes the way opponents need to scheme to stop Sacramento’s offense.
While we can debate the overall impact of Harrison Barnes and his departure, there’s no question that he helped the Kings’ spacing. He shot a respectable clip and defense knew he couldn’t be left wide open. Replacing Barnes with DeMar DeRozan could cause some spacing issues. The Kings still have shooters in Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, and Kevin Huerter, but if Sabonis can become a true stretch-5, it opens up a world of possibilities for Sacramento.
I’m actually more interested in Domas shooting more from the top of the key or the elbow. The fact defenders sag off him there and wait to pounce when he brings the ball down makes it harder for him to make a move towards the basket. Hitting these midrange shots will make him so much harder to guard.
Also, putting him on the perimeter takes away one of his main strengths as an offensive rebounder.
Talking about round hole-square peg solutions like Domas shooting more threes to solve our spacing issues makes me wonder if the DDR aquisition will really make a big impact.
I think DDR is so much more than has been discussed here. His presence will change how this team plays offense and defense. I am excited to see what line up and strategies come about because of him.
Forcing Sabonis to play on the perimeter along side Keegan who is forced into a power forward role is not the answer. I do not think Mike Brown sees that as the answer either. Looks like some real power forwards are being looked at and that is great.
DDR and how he plays with this team dictates if we make the step up to the next level.
I may have missed it, but what are the some real power forwards that are being looked at?
Ah, you mean Little (a 6’5 SF), Warren and Crowder (undersized at 6’6)? Not sure that they are needle-movers.
Yes. Crowder could be interesting?
I didn’t realize they are all small as well. At least Crowder has played power forward successfully in recent history.
Too old. Too slow.
Too much play off experience to be sitting out looking for a team. He has something very few on this roster actually have.
Couldn’t the same be said for JaVale McGee?
Crowder plays basketball.
Goalpost move successful.
Nothing moved. Javale McGee is not playing. Javale McGee is sitting on the bench for whatever reason. Crowder is still actively playing solid minutes.
What is the reasoning for 30 teams not rostering him?
Do not know?
How about you?
Why are the Kings trying out forwards when Lyles, Murray, McDaniels, McGee, Jones, and Crawford are currently on the roster?
Do not know? What about you? You seem to know a lot. Enlighten us.
I know I like the idea of Crowder on the bench with the possibility of playing vs. McGee.
Can you enlighten us with more knowledge?
What do you know?
You’re the one postulating that Crowder is the “real power forward” we need, SaraMarvin.
Why? Based on what metrics?
Crowder is not moving the needle, sorry. I’ve always liked him but last year, his per 36 numbers were worse than Bagley’s – and not by a little. Jaden McDaniels is in the same neighborhood as Crowder’s per 36. I’m not opposed to having a player like him for spot minutes and veteran leadership, but there’s no way he takes time from Keegan, Lyles, DDR, or Huerter at any forward position.
I agree. The workouts of him, Little, and Warren are probably just good faith to their agents with the slim chance that they catch on to team in a minimum role.
Apologize for being short and bit of smart ass. I like Crowder more than McGee if that is the role they are filling.
No need for me to be a smart ass about it.
They play different positions, and don’t really the move needle at all. Crowder might be more helpful, but I don’t see him playing anything more than 10mpg. The 8 man rotation is basically set (fox, monk, huerter, ellis, DDR, Keegan, Sabonis, Lyles) which leaves mop up duty for everyone else (Len, McLaughlin, Jones duo, Robinson, etc). Crowder might be the same level of those end of bench guys, but other teams don’t have him signed either.
I do not think the eight man rotation set. Training camp has not even started yet.
Totally Agree with your assessment RS. He’s open there all the time, and I also want Fox to take that free throw line jumper. With Fox’s quickness that is almost always an automatic two, no one is quick enough to stay with him. I do not want to see Fox taking a boatload of 3’s, he needs to be a point guard this year, setting up Sabonis, DDR, KM,KH, Monk, and Ellis. When McLaughlin is in the game Fox can play the shooting guard position.
I think that limiting the idea of “spacing” to just three point shots is a bit reductive. If Sabonis would confidently shoot and make 15 footers, that would help space the floor pretty significantly, while still keeping him in reasonable position for rebounding
Sabons spacing the floor opens up for players cutting backdoor. Also brings out the center to quard Domas making it easy to go high low. Not only cutting backdoor but cutting of Sabonis himself.He has a very fluid shot with all the mecanics it takes to be a good midrange shooter
Absolutely-has to shoot that middy and make. This is what holds Sabonis back in playoffs. His inability to hit the midrange renders the O run through Sabs toothless. DHO won’t work-no backdoor cuts-less PnR-etc etc.
If Sab can hit that middy-he’d be deadly.
Maybe part of why Sab hasn’t seemed to be able to bring playoff wins to his teams. Gotta shoot-at least a little.
As an undersized center Sabonis is already a stretch five in my opinion. I think his biggest contribution to this team has been his basketball IQ. When the offense runs through him it is more consistent and strategic. Fox alone executing the offense is loose, random, and fast. All of his strengths. We need the ball going through Sabonis to maintain the level of play that has been around the last couple of years.
Without a power forward this team needs Sabonis to be more of a traditional center simply because he is the only person in the paint. Sabonis can shoot a three but that leaves a huge hole on the floor without a power forward to shift over and fill. Get a power forward and this will free up Sabonis. Without a power forward he already has his hands full as an undersized center.
The Pacers already tried that. Their defense were good but their offense were never good.
We have the right setup around Sabonis, 2 combo forwards and 2 combo guards.
We all want an athletic and big forward but realistically, that guy is not available. Any one available would be backup to Deebo and Keegan.
There are not anymore power forwards?
I do not think we need one to start or play the majority of minutes. We need a decent one that can play a part when being small is not going to work. When small ball works you are correct. Small ball will not go far in my opinion.
Trey Lyles is big. He can shoot and rebound.
McDaniels is long. He is 6’10” with 7′ wingspan.
If you don’t need one to play majority of minutes, then you already have the answers in house.
Lyles maybe. McDaniels probably not. They are easily improved on.
There is nothing easy about building around Sabonis. He is one of the most particular players. You have to be careful whom you put around him otherwise you always get trade-off; better offense and worse defense or vice versa.
True. His own versatility makes that a challenge. I think the Derozan signing is great. He can be very creative and work with Sabonis to take some pressure off of him. I also think another big, ideally a power forward, that can play some good minutes will bring a different look opponents would likely struggle with. Kings can go small and compete with bigs that way.
i think a lot of you forget Keegan Murray because of DDR is now our power forward. Don’t forget Trey Lyles as our backup. Very reliable.
For whatever reason, one I am trying to remind people of, we do still have Spock. It’s almost as if the Vulcan left this time line through a worm hole and is no longer part of this roster as people pine over a PF who can shoot and guard PF’s, SF’s and switch onto guards.
i checked, he’s still on the team when you do a google search and I’ve seen clips of him working out with the team on Instagram.
Can he? I think Yes.
Will he? I would expect at least 2 attempts per game and feel like that should be the goal. 2-3. We don’t need him bombing away.
Should he? As many have already stated in the comments, “not really”.
the guy shoots wide open looks from 3pt range and hits those wide open looks at an 38% clip. That is very good. If he’s wide open from 3 he should shoot it. The numbers agree with that. If he does/when he does, defenders will start closing out on him more and that will be good for everyone. When that happens he can remain in the mind set of only shooting wide open 3’s. His wind up and release from deep is slow and I can’t see that changing anytime soon. Shoot the deep shot when you’re wide open. He could have done that a lot more than he did last season and he should have the mindset to actually do it more this season. Wide open yes, if contested then the kings have already won. Ox can then drive or dish and we all know that good things happen in both those scenarios (driving when he can easily get by his man).
to accentuate the overall feed back to date as I write my comment, the real emphasis should be on him shooting the mid range WAAAAAY more often. Take the elbow jumper that’s given to him 20 + times a game. Take it, he will make it at a reasonable percentage, I have zero doubt. I just want to see him feel comfortable doing it. No hesitation. Like Webber is an exaggerated example. Like Vlade or Brad Miller is a more reasonable goal and should be an expectation from the coaching staff and his teammates. If he does (as many have already said) the spacing gained from that is more than sufficient and still allows him to be in a good position for what he does best (rebounding and creating for his teammates).
I’d be surprised if sabonis himself along with the coaching staff don’t realize how important him shooting the elbow or free throw line jump shot is. I hope it’s something he’s working on and challenging himself to be better at this coming season.
Domas has hit at 37% both years in Sac. Before that, though. volume decreased his efficiency by a lot! (BBREF STATS)
I think overall Domas is going to take fewer shots this year, but I hope he takes the open ones. I think he’ll score a lot at the rim like usual, but I think you’re going to see a lot of hi-low switching with Domas and DDR. They shoot the three at a similarly mid clip on low volume, but I think they’ll be in motion often to force defenses to choose who to leave in the paint.
what he said! (and with a lot less words and more to the point, then what I plopped down)
Domas has a widely variable history as a 3 point shooter.
Drafted out of the Gonzaga line by OKC, he was expected and encouraged to be a 3 point shooting PF. During his rookie campaign, Sabonis shot 2.0 3PA and making just a pre-last season, Foxian .321 3FG%. But that was with him playing 20mpg, or a 3 pointer every 10 minutes. Compare that to his time in Sacramento where he is shooting 1.1 3FGA but averaging 35 mpg or 1 three pointer every 32 minutes.
As a Pacer, during his 319 games, he was all over the place. His 4.1/2 seasons have him averaging as low as 0.2 3PA to as high as 2.6 3PA (2020-2021). The 3FG% are relatively consistent if you throw out the seasons where he barely shot the 3, 0.2 and 0.5 for two different seasons. He is between .351 to .254 – he is not making Curry magic. For those seasons (again, we are talking Indy only) that he shot low 3FG% (.254, .312) were his among his best in Pacer town – he was elected to the ASG 2020 and 2021.
As his attempts went up, his percentages went down. That is why he hesitates, looks around, hesitates and then if no one is coming, he hoists it. This is a player who is not looking to shoot the 3, and his history and experience explain his lack of confidence.
His time in Sac show the improvement in his 3FG%, but his consistent 1.1 3FGA belie that he’d rather someone else toss the trey.
His 3 point shot could be a real X-factor…imagine how good the offense would be if he started popping perimeter shots like Love. Could probably increase his scoring to 23 ppg, and then create a lot more spacing for everyone else.
Love shoots the three because he does not run the entire length of the floor anymore. By the time he gets to the three point line the offense is set and he is not going to have time to make it to the key.
I would like to see Domas shoot more threes. As stated, he shot 1.1 per game last season. Davion shot 2.2/game. Keon shot 2.9 in 17 mpg. We can afford for Domas to shoot more.
Basically, when he has the ball at the left slot beyond the three point line, and he is wide the hell open, left completely unguarded, settle down and launch. Do that three times on average per game (the opportunity will be there in the beginning of the season) for ten or so games and pretty soon after the scouts will say some defense must be applied against Domas on the perimeter.
A great thing about Domas getting defended on the perimeter is he knows how to make plays. He’s not your stereotypical stretch big who can set screens and shoot but not pass exceptionally well. Get the opposing center out to the perimeter and let Domas create for others.
I do not think Domas should shoot elbow jumpers. It’s really a matter of three being more than two. The chart below does not have zones for just the elbows but if you tally both sides of the free throw circle and the areas that touch the elbows, Domas shot 46 for 94 for 49%. Ignoring the corners, Domas shot 32 for 82 from three for 39%. Now, 49% times 2 points is 0.98 points per shot while 39% time 3 points is 1.17 points per shot. Go to the restricted area or shoot threes. It’s just math.
Kings got another Boogie. No details yet but probably a two-way…
IF DeMarcus Cousins and Keon had a baby what would you name it?
Keegan Murray 😉
Deke.
I assume it’s just making official the agreement that was reported back at the end of July—most likely an exhibit 10 contract so that he can participate in training camp.
Two-ways are filled. I’m guessing its a partial guarantee.
His release is so slow and deliberate and he has no elevation on his jumper. I don’t think he ever will take anything other than wide open 3s, for good reason. Take wide open 3s in critical moments only.
Love DaBoner but he really needs to switch up his mind set on offense. We need him to be more aggressive offensively and establish that part of his game more, teams sense that he is timid and it hurts us. We need to dominate teams and he needs to be seen as more of a legit offensive weapon.
Just so we are clear, Domas leads the team in rebounds, assists and is second in PPG and FGA, but we want him to do more? The dude is not Jokic.
It think Monte going out and getting DeRozan is going to put a lot of us at ease with Domas and his shot selection. Domas is now 3rd fiddle on offense at best. I say we just let him be the hub of the offense as point center and let others thrive off of his playmaking.
For me, this is all about playoff success. Sabonis will need to shoot and make that mid range or the DHO etc is taken away. The high post O w Sabs running it wont cut it.
So yes, in the playoffs he’s gonna have to do more if the Kings want to really become contenders…I believe.
Domas has never played with two prolific scorers like Fox and DeMar. I feel he’s going to have to do less and will as a result get easier opportunities to score and create. Teams won’t be able to sag off of him like they have the past two seasons because they are gonna have to be like glue on two other guys…and that doesn’t take into consideration Keegan, Huerter, Monk, and Ellis sitting beyond the arc.
Fun stat: DeRozan has been the leading scorer on each team he’s played on for the past decade.
Even though DeRozan doesn’t shoot 3s all that well, I still think he will provide spacing due to his overall shot making ability. Coming off a Sabonis screen, DeRozan will draw defenders to him, hopefully leaving Sabonis open in the middle for a shot or drive.
Like you stated, the Kings still have some damn good 3pt shooters. Fox, DeRozan and Sabonis should draw most of the attention, leaving Monk, Ellis, Huerter and Keegan open.
If a team is specifically working to take a certain play (the DHO) away, it must mean that they are vulnerable in other areas defensively. Somehow, Brown and the team never found a way to punish teams for overplaying the DHO.
Also, the focus on Domas allowed Fox to play offense one on one for most of the time, but few are giving Domas credit for that.
I’m not saying that Sabonis is entirely blameless, but identifying him as the sole or even main culprit doesn’t strike me as accurate. Especially Brown has to do better.
Staff disappointed with pivoting to different types of plays when the DHO was covered well. They better have some type of counter this season or they will be stuck in the play-in once again.
Derozan will solve that.
[…] It’ll be worth monitoring whether Sabonis, who has shot 36.4% from 3-point range as a King, starts letting them fly at the sort of elevated clip that Brown […]
[…] czy Sabonis, który jako król trafiał z skutecznością 36,4% z dystansu za trzy punkty, zaczyna pozwalać im latać w rodzaju podwyższony klip, którego pragnie […]
[…] It’ll be value monitoring whether or not Sabonis, who has shot 36.4% from 3-point vary as a King, begins letting them fly on the type of elevated clip that Brown […]
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