Domantas Sabonis was yet again the Sacramento Kings most reliable player. He helped facilitate the offense, attacked the glass and remained a double-double machine, averaging 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 6 assists per game while shooting a 62.6% effective field goal percentage (84th percentile), according to Cleaning The Glass.
On the surface it appears Domas was as reliable and productive as he has ever been, and in most cases that is true. Diving a little deeper into the numbers uncovers a little more nuance that shows some of his defensive limitations still remaining, the evolution of his offense and what things might look like for him in the future.
Elite Offensive Production And Some Career Bests
Sabonis remains an offensive engine. As mentioned, his true shooting efficiency places him in the 84th percentile among big men. The Kings points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor is +3.7 points per 100 possessions, which was an improvement from last season.
The team’s effective field goal percentage jumped by almost 2 percent with Sabonis on the floor (also an improvement from last season), further illustrating his importance on that side of the ball.
Here are some career bests for the season:
- The team scored +7.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (90th percentile).
- His midrange field goal percentage was a career-best 51%.
- His free throw percentage increased to .754 percent.
Though not a career high, his three-point percentage increased to 41%. He only took 2.2 per game. He shot 52% from three in his third season in the NBA, but only took .2 threes per game.
His assists dropped from 8.2 per game last season to 6 this season, which could be more about team chemistry and scheme this season than Sabonis himself. Regardless, that is a pretty big drop in playmaking.
On Defense: Some Concerns, Slight Gains
Sabonis remained stout in the rebounding category and led the league in double doubles with 61. He also was in the 96th percentile for defensive rebounding. The Kings as a team held opponents to -4.2 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (83rd percentile), a vast improvement from the last two seasons.
Now to the not so positive: His rim protection abilities continue to be subpar. According to Cleaning The Glass, his block percentage is .5 percent, which places him in the 6th percentile among bigs. His steal rate dropped from 1.1% last season to .9% this season, putting him in the 18th percentile.
Impact and Availability
Regardless of his flaws, Sabonis does a lot more good than bad, and his overall on/off differential was +7.8, a career high and good for the 90th percentile. He plays hard and is consistent and that alone is enough for fans to get behind him.
That said, his availability did take a slight hit this season. After playing 79 games in his first full season with the Kings and 82 last season, he played in 70 this season. He played in just 62 games in each season for the Indiana Pacers between 2019 and 2022. So, it is worth noting given his usage rate and physical style of play.
Avoiding Contact A Little More?
It seems unimaginable with Domas, but his shooting fouled percentage declined from 17.2% last season (84th percentile) to 13.5% this season (63rd percentile). That is the lowest of his career aside from his rookie season. You can’t blame the guy for not wanting to get hit in the face repeatedly, but it is an interesting trend to keep an eye on next season.
Final Grade: B
Quite honestly, it is going to be difficult to give any player on the Kings roster a truly accurate grade this season. The Kings fired the coach, traded the best player, traded for another ball-dominant guard, and tried to make it all work without a true point guard all in the same season. So, things were not easy. But Sabonis remains an engine for the Kings. He had a great season in the midst of a lot of turmoil. But given his defensive liabilities, his drop in assists per game, the team having 6 less wins than it did last season and getting obliterated in the NBA Play-In Tournament, I couldn’t quite get him to a B+.
So, a B it is.
My hope is the Kings fill the roster holes and give him some stability next season to help maximize his talent.
Great stuff Blake!
Domas needs to shoot more and initiate the offense more to offset his defensive limitations. Can’t spend 43-50 million per on an elite rebounder. Don’t care how efficient he is if he doesn’t use it.
Otherwise we’d be better off with Dunk, Swat and Rebound center. Like a Jalen Duran or Walker Kessler.
Or give up some of the offense and passing for a large salary savings and better D with someone like Isaiah Hartenstein or even someone like Daniel Gafford or Jarrett Allen.
One of the main problems are that his limitations become clear once team really focus their game plans on disrupting/swarming him.
His ballhandling isn’t good enough to dribble out of it, he is/his arms are too short to keep the ball up and avoid swipes/pokes at the ball, he’s too methodical/slow in his post-up game and he doesn’t have the court vision to make very quick decisions. Those things are what set Jokic apart from Domas, and that gap is huge.
To counter that he indeed may need to become more trigger happy from distance, although I fear that with such shots in volume, his efficiency may nosedive.
I really like Domas, admire his hard work and unselfishness, value his rebounding, think that he is a decent defender despite his shortcomings, but I doubt that he can’t be the main cog on a contending team.
The funny thing is that when I thinkl of the ideal player to pait Domas with, I come to Anthony Davis and Myles Turner. And the fact that with the latter things never really worked out makes me wonder.
Nobody is untradable. That certainly was true for DMC, and is also true of Domas. Apart from my misgivings about ownership and the new FO, if you get a good deal, plull the trigger.
I blame the spelling errors on my strawberry daiquiri (did I spell that right?).
He is a center. You can’t pair him up with myles turner lol and his defense is actually good.
Not really, blocks a couple of shots, poor rebounder and can’t cover wings . Pacers have enough athleticism to cover for his flaws but Kings can’t for Domas .
Should still get a B+ or A-, no other centers outside Jokic are getting 19/13/6 while shooting 60%. Shooting 3s at a high percentage just has to start popping 3-4 per game.
I wondered this same thing. If our team is functioning and built well, Domas should be in that role. He’s proven his 3 point ability. He’s shown durability, and the ability to do a damn fine Joker impersonation. I wonder what Jokic’s block and steal rates are. I feel like, professionally, being at 90% of Jokic should be the team’s goal for Domas. If he was at that level, he’d be an MVP. But I think we can build a better supporting cast than Joker has, so having Domas be *nearly* as dominant would be something!
Jokic this season: 1.6% block % and 2.4 % steal %.
Agree with the grade needing to be closer to an A. There aren’t too many players who do what Domas does in the NBA, stat wise. When you add consistency and availability…
Yes, he needs to shoot more!
Joker takes 19.5 shots a game. Domas 12.8, 4th on the team. You know how everyone talks about Keegan being forgotten on O? Keegan takes 10.8. Our most efficient guy gets 2 more shots than the forgotten guy.
Domas needs to shoot more, a lot more or he’s not worth the cap hit.
Domas will never shoot more he is stat padding every game to get assist
So assists are bad when he gets them . Got it and ave. 1.5 pts a shoot bad too . Leading the league in rebounds must really bug you .
I don’t want to be negative and contradict your post with facts so
How is it his defensive abilities are “not so good” if he “vastly improved” his per 100? Regardless of whether he blocks shots or not, he’s preventing more baskets than he was the last 2 seasons. Does it matter “how”, specifically? He did a great job of making players go around him this season instead of straight to the rim and it fed his rebound #’s almost all season. So I don’t particularly care that he’s not padding my fantasy team’s block category, so long as the on-court results are fewer baskets made by the opponent. And its not insignificant that he’s doing it with players who tend to be defensive sieves 75% of the game in DeRozan and LaVine.
Now, that’s not to say we couldn’t use a shot blocker on the squad. I’m just saying, qualifying his defensive abilities relative to how you’d prefer he play defense isn’t particularly objective. He improved defensively, he made life difficult for the opponent and the stats bare that out.
With DeRozan added to the team, I believe Domas took a “glue guy” approach and tried not to rock the boat. I think the whole team did that the first month of the season and our record showed it. And then it was the DeMar show for a bit, and then they sort of started taking turns before they figured out a balanced attack. To maximize Domas you need to put him back as the focal point of the offense and not to play point center the entire game, he needs to mix in more post work and for god’s sake the man needs to learn how to make people pay attention to him at the elbow. If he developed a consistent elbow jumper, he’d add about 6-10 pts a game, easy. It would also lessen our dependency on whatever that high post hand off garbage is. That’s no Princeton offense, Doug, that’s a sad facsimile that needs to go away in favor of some actual plays until you can get the whole team to actually cut without the ball.
Anyways, free Domas. Or trade him.
#2cents
Sabonis needs to demand a trade, it’s what’s best for him and this franchise. Place Domas on SAS and he’s a snug fit next to Wemby. Makes sense for the Spurs and they have the assets to make another trade for one of our stars since they barely gave up anything for Fox lol.
Explain to me how Sabonis demanding out of the organization is good for the organization. And I’m personally not doing SA any more favors after we got fleeced for Fox, hard pass.
Sabonis not like that to be demanding a trade w 3 years on his deal left lol the guy last game was just put backs and rebounds
Leads the Association in rebounding for the 3rd year in a row. I find this significant enough to mention.
Tied for 3rd in triple doubles (Jokic with 34(!), Giannis 11,, LBj amd Domas with 10.
Is he graceful? No, not very much. And I believe that downgrades his evaluation by many. He is, as his moniker attests, an Ox. As Magnificent Max would say (about Fezzik) – He is The Brute Force.
My beef with The Domas- Ex Machina/Dominator this season, which had him look much the same player we’ve seen the previous 3 1/2 seasons though with improved shooting percentages, are his turnovers. Turnovers that were too often careless and unforced. If he cut that crap out, he’d be a solid A for me.
His work ethic and devotion to team play are A+. He needs help, Jonas is a wonderful back up, but please add a real life power forward that can 3 and weakside rim protect as a starter, and I believe he will fit better and the Kings will win more. (Naz Reid is still my hope).
So when you watch the playoffs, a successful roster must have the following Elements.
so what do the Kings have. They have criteria 3 and 5 and that is Sabonis. They also have shooters with range.
if you want to stay relevant and rebuild at the same time, how about going to the Clippers and offering Lavine or DeRozen and a couple of second rounders for Harden. Adds to element 1 and solves element 2.
btw – I like Payton Watson.
we need to find a couple of young dogs on defense that are under the radar.
you want someone cheap for one year who can fill element 2 and not sacrifice our future. take a shot at Russell Westbrook or Dennis Schroder.
if you want to tear it down which might be the best option. Keep Sabonis and Murray and get as many draft picks as possible with remaining roster. Follow that up with taking on a couple of bad contracts in exchange for more draft picks or young talent like Watson. Tank for a couple of years and draft wisely.
There you have it.
An idea. Monk a first and second for Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado. We would lose a first but get 2 for 1. Jones alongside Murray would be devastading and Alvarado would run the point.
If not above trade another idea would be Monk a first and second for Jabari Smith and Cam Whitmore. Smith would stretch the floor and play perimeter defense. Whitmore doesn’t play much due to the Rocketr roster but is up and coming.
Again a home run and both make sense for Pelicans and Rockets . Win/win
I would make that trade in a hot minute but I doubt Houston would do it. That however is the type of move we need to make
Love this idea .
Depends on your definition of “dog”. Your 2 best defenders are Murray & Ellis. You also have 3 dogs (as in poor) in Lavine, DDR & Monk. I like the idea of trying to rebuild around Domas, Keegan & Keon. Everybody else can go.
I’m talking guys like Jaden McDaniels and Alexander Walker. I doubt Minnesota would part with either but we need two defensive dogs like that. I’m not as high on Ellis as others seem to be.
Agree Murray is a decent/good defender. Perhaps you go to Portland and take on the bad contract of Ayton in a three team deal giving up Lavine or Derozan and picking up some draft capital. Would have to be another team in the mix because Portland doesn’t want Lavine or Derozan but they’d like to get out of the Ayton contract.
I want Watson from Denver and I think Derozan might be a fit there. So somehow work out a deal where we get Watson and Ayton and a draft pick for Derozan. I think Denver would be a really good fit for Derozan, Monk or even Lavine and I think Portland would like to get rid of a couple of bad contracts. So give me Watson and some draft capital and we’ll take on a bad contract.
The kings are not getting those guys unless they draft them lol
no derozan monk or lavine would not be great fits they all suck without the ball
I’d love to hear your theories on who would be willing to take on LaVine’s salary in a trade and what you think you could realistically get back. Because I have a theory that most teams had all of last season to get in on the Zach LaVine Sweepstakes and the ONLY team that was remotely interested was the Sacramento Kings and somehow we managed to outbid ourselves.
I think Lavine can be a finishing piece for a contender. I can see Denver or Minnesota being interested. Even the Rockets who can really use a shooter. Denver has Watson who I like and Minnesota has Alexander Walker. Find a way to get those two guys.
Hilarious. There you have it lol
I said 3 years ago that the moves the Kings were making would produce a sugar high and then lead to mediocrity and then failure. That prediction unfortunately has become exactly correct, The Huerter trade which I never liked is biting us in the ass now unless we get some miraculous luck (3.8% chance) and the balls go our way Monday.
At this point all you can do is try to move Lavine, Monk, Derozan for whatever draft capital or young talent you can get. The other option is add a couple of cheap veterans like Russell Westbrook and/or Schroeder and run it through again which I think would be unwise.
i do however think Monk, LaVine and Derozan have utility for some teams around the league. You’re correct that the roster elements I mentioned will mostly have to be obtained through the draft however there’s some young under the radar talent around the league we should be searching for. I mentioned Watson.. A deal with Houston could be a good fit. Houston needs shooters and scorers and we have that and they have a couple of young guys in Sheppard and Whitmore I’d be interested in obtaining. Need to make the salaries work so a third team will probably be necessary.
To say Monk, Derozan and Lavine don’t have any value is simply wrong. Look what the Warriors are doing with Hield, LaVine can fill that role and better on Houston which they badly need. You don’t think Derozan would be a good addition for Denver. Monk also has value in the right situation perhaps New York.
We unfortunately are years away again and the sugar high has burned off but there are a couple of things we can do.
Best player on the roster, and by a much wider margin with no Fox.
it is astonishing to me that this org. has sought to augment his game by visiting the Island of Misfit Toys, while simultaneously creating a huge hole at PG by dealing Fox…and getting no PG but yet another high handle SG in return. /Shrugs.
They gave Sabonis the bag and subsequently constructed a roster around him that accentuates his weaknesses. Lol. Can’t make this stuff up.
Three plus years running and no attempt to place an ideal 4 (athletic, rim protector with range) next to him.
This franchise has no direction or plan.
Agree, Notice how much better Joker got when Gordon arrived ?
joker? When will this fan base stop comparing this white Andre Drummond to the second best player in the world lol
What was written is true . Not comparing just stating that top 4 has made Joker better as a top 4 would make Domas better . Troll along .
I’m curious, what makes Aaron Gordon so much better at the 4 spot than Keegan Murray. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have Gordon, but isn’t Keegan that version of a player? Keegan protects the rim better, rebounds better, and really just doesn’t get the same kind of assists as Gordon. So what are the differences in terms of compliment to their centers?
I think my point is, if you swapped both players, the Nuggets wouldn’t skip a beat and the Kings would be in the same situation.
It’s a good comp. The main difference I find between Murray and Gordon is that AG is simply much more aggressive. Speaking broadly, they have very different personalities, but Keegan can be conditioned to be more aggressive on offense and become the kind of asset who routinely makes the difference between a win and a loss.
Murray is less-athletic than AG (who isn’t?), but that’s not meant as any kind of shot at him. He’s a sneaky-good athlete, and the two things I’d like to see from him next season are:
I’ve just remembered that this article is not about Keegan Murray.
The Nugs actually feature Gordon. He’s involved as a scoring option in probably over half their offensive sets while Keegan…
Personally, I’d go at least a B+. He’s never been a shot blocker and never will be. But, there’s more to D than just that. I think he does a reasonably good job of reading and rotating, and I also think he does a good job of maximizing his size/verticality. And his steal percentage dropping two tenths of one percent doesn’t mean much to me in the grand scheme.
Sure, he’s got flaws, but I think the positives in his game and what he brings to the table are worthy of at least a B+.
Domas represents the best of professional basketball . A tremendous competitor, unselfish, highly productive and elite at his position . He remains the primary reason I follow and support the Kings .
Cardio. Wrestling. Low IQ in the front court. No counter moves. trade him. Not a max player. Start the rebuild again.
he will be good on a team like the warriors or hornets tho w a point guard that can shoot 3s off DHO or guys who can get him easy baskets like a lamelo or Cade so I’m not saying he absolutely sucks.
this dude couldn’t post up KD lol
please trade him.
Should the Kings use their MLE to try and get Santi Aldama in free agency?
Lamelo most unproductive chucker in the league and rarely healthy . Why am I not surprised you would like him .
I never said I liked Lamelo lol but I did say Domas will be someone who makes his game easier because that is the type of guard he can make better and lamelo might have a horrible shot selection but he can pass the ball like crazy and sabonis will benefit from that . The kings don’t have those guys. With that being said sabonis is still mid and overrated lol that is no trolling mate bruh just can’t hoop in the half court lol
Sure bruh it’s trolling when it’s an opinion not based on any facts . LOL
Little late to the discussion but I’d give him a 90/100. You get elite production from an elite role-player.
Domas has far too many flaws and ceiling limitations to be a truly elite player on his own, but with the right roster construction, he can be a very important connecting glue piece that does the dirty work and for a contending team (an elite role-player). He should not be main offensive or even secondary offensive option as he excels most when the defense is focused elsewhere and he’s really effective at helping others be more efficient. In video game parlance, it’s like he hands out Buffs to his teammates when he does something on the court (+30% Efficiency Bonus for shooting off a Domas screen assist, +20% Transition Speed off of a Domas rebound, +10% 3pt Accuracy off of Domas kickout pass), this should be utilized more as a main component of an offensive system. His physical abilities are not that rare in the NBA, it’s the fact that he works so damn hard that allows him to over-perform consistently, but its why when he faces someone capable of neutralizing his high-effort play that we really see his deficiencies.
Domas needs to play next to a tall, long, athletic 4 to offset his flaws (lack of rim-protection, length, verticality). While Keegan is great himself, he is not ideal next to Domas and Keegan is best playing the 3. The Kings FO continues to fail at putting the right players next to Domas to maximize his talents, this is not his fault.
Domas may not have elite-level height, length, or athleticism, but he does have the BBIQ, skills, strength, unselfish-play, and the will to help your team win and he has those qualities in abundance. He needs a roster that is made for him to support and that will support him in return.
I’ve been somewhat down on Domas in some of my comments but I will say it is very hard to judge him on this dysfunctional franchise/team. I love him as a 2nd or probably 3rd best player. On a stacked squad there’s no doubt I think he can help win a championship. My biggest issue is that you’re paying him like the #1 or 2 option and that’s kind of a stretch for me. He doesn’t dominate enough on offense for me, that’s my main issue. He doesn’t take over offensively in games when we need him to, especially big ones, for how much he is paid. He plays hard but doesn’t take over games. I don’t see any reason he can’t shoot more and score 25+ a game, that’s what I want for an A+ grade.
I had assumed that Sabonis’ turnovers per game would be up this year, but the rate actually dropped a bit. Watching the games gave me the impression that he was making significantly more unforced errors this past season, but the numbers say otherwise.
I know better than to ask “am I crazy, but…” questions around here, but did anyone else assume that Sabonis turnovers spiked in ’24-’25?
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