A team was born last season in Sacramento following Mike Brown’s takeover of the bench. Around the Fox-Sabonis axis, the Kings found the right fuel in the regular season to finish in third place in the Western Conference. Even if they failed against Golden State in the first round, in a seven-round series which will remain as one of the best of the 2023 playoffs, the momentum is underway.
The objective now is to confirm and continue, and to do this, the Californian franchise will be able to count on Domantas Sabonis, which extended its lease by five years for $217 million this summer. At the dawn of the Kings’ first pre-season match, the Lithuanian pivot spoke about the reasons which encouraged him to continue the adventure with the Kings. The fiery public of Sacramento particularly weighed in the balance.
“I always say that the first day when I got traded and I came in, I got a standing ovation from the fans. I pay attention to all these things. The fans have been important to me, my family and everyone here,” he declared after the fourth day of training in Sacramento. “Things happened this summer. The opportunity presented itself and I’m happy that the franchise believes in me and that I can be here for a long time. I wanted to stay here, and when the opportunity presented itself, I was more than happy to sign.”
De’Aaron Fox, his first ally
What also motivated Domantas Sabonis was seeing the efforts made to maintain the hard core that allowed Sacramento to end 16 consecutive seasons without playoffs. By sending Richaun Holmes to Dallas on Draft night, GM Monte McNair freed up $19 million in payroll for the season. And rather than going for a big free agent, the Kings preferred to consolidate their bases by extending the Lithuanian then Harrison Barnes. A guarantee of stability which could make the difference for this team to continue its path on the right path.
“Compared to last year, I would say that we are much further ahead. Everyone is already in good shape, so there was no backlash. We continue to be physical, to give our all. It’s nice “he added. “All of this helps us a lot. The workouts are shorter, and the legs are therefore a little fresher. But on the ground, we already have this cohesion. We may be a little rusty because of the summer but whether in attack or defense, the cohesion is there. We know the areas we need to improve and we know what we are good at.”
Finally, the prospect of continuing his collaboration with De’Aaron Fox also contributed, especially after a full first season which bore fruit.
“In this franchise, there is a lot of confidence that Fox and I can guide the team and we are excited about that. Having such a dynamic fullback, a superstar who is capable of doing everything, both offensively and defensively, means a lot. You saw it last year, and for me, as a center, to be able to play with someone like that, it makes my life so much easier.”
The Kings begin their preseason today with a first matchup against the Raptors in Vancouver.
| Domantas Sabonis | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | OKAY | 81 | 20 | 39.9 | 32.1 | 65.7 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 5.9 |
| 2017-18 | IND | 74 | 25 | 51.4 | 35.1 | 75.0 | 2.2 | 5.5 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 11.6 |
| 2018-19 | IND | 74 | 25 | 59.0 | 52.9 | 71.5 | 2.5 | 6.8 | 9.3 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 14.1 |
| 2019-20 | IND | 62 | 35 | 54.0 | 25.4 | 72.3 | 3.1 | 9.4 | 12.4 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 18.5 |
| 2020-21 | IND | 62 | 36 | 53.5 | 32.1 | 73.2 | 2.4 | 9.6 | 12.0 | 6.7 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 20.3 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 62 | 35 | 57.3 | 31.2 | 74.1 | 3.2 | 8.9 | 12.1 | 5.2 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 18.9 |
| 2021-22 * | IND | 47 | 35 | 58.0 | 32.4 | 74.0 | 3.3 | 8.8 | 12.1 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 18.9 |
| 2021-22 * | BAG | 15 | 34 | 55.4 | 23.5 | 74.3 | 3.1 | 9.3 | 12.3 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 18.9 |
| 2022-23 | BAG | 79 | 35 | 61.5 | 37.3 | 74.2 | 3.2 | 9.1 | 12.3 | 7.3 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 19.1 |
| Total | 494 | 29 | 54.8 | 32.6 | 73.1 | 2.4 | 7.3 | 9.7 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 15.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
