Domantas Sabonis hasn’t gotten nearly enough credit for everything that he brings to the table. He is a HUGE reason why the Kings are the proud owners of the second seed in the West. The culture has completely changed in Sacramento since Sabonis’ arrival. Now, let’s take a good look at the analytics that prove that he’s one of the best big men in basketball.
Sabonis gets his fair share of touches–and with good reason. For big men, he’s got a very high usage rate at 23.1%, which is good enough to put him in the 92nd percentile for all big men. While he may have the ball a lot, he’s not trying to shoot most of the time. He’s not scared to try to score like Ben Simmons, though. Sabonis is a pass-first player. His Ast% (% of teammates shots he assisted on) and Ast:Usg (assist rate compared to usage rate) are off the charts. In terms of Ast%, he accounts for 29% of his team’s assists, putting him in the 98th percentile amongst big men. The only other big man that has a higher Ast% is Nikola Jokic. As good as Sabonis is at passing, we must concede that Jokic has a leg-up on him. Continually, Sabonis is just behind Nikola Jokic and Draymond Green in terms of Ast:Usg.
Sabonis’s bread and butter is the dribble hand-off. He did plenty of this in Indiana, and we’re seeing it even more in Sacramento. His dribble hand-off play is a big reason why the Kings own the best offense in the NBA. He often has De’Aaron Fox or Kevin Huerter coming around to receive the dribble hand-off. When they run this play with Fox, an open lane is often created and the red carpet is rolled out for Fox to display his blistering speed and ability to finish around the rim. If the rotation comes, Fox isn’t afraid to show off his floater game, which has been a very efficient shot for him this season. Huerter, on the other hand, tends to shoot directly off the hand-off. Huerter averages the most shot attempts off of a dribble hand-off per game at 2.8. To put it in perspective, Curry only averages 2.3 shots per game off hand-offs.
While passing is Sabonis’s money maker, his scoring ability is nothing to gloss over. He takes 65% of his shots at the rim, but isn’t afraid to let it fly if given space. He’s shooting a solid 37% from three; however, he’s only taking one three per game. Most of his threes come from the top of the key in a pick-and-pop, but he also seems to take them from the right corner. Whether by gameplan or by his playstyle, Sabonis never shoots from the left corner–only the right. He hasn’t made a three yet this season that wasn’t off a pass. That’s right–he’s not made a three pointer that wasn’t assisted. While he may not be a shot creator, he’s definitely a shot maker.
Overall, Sabonis is an efficient scorer. He’s got an eFG% of 63.4%--which puts him in the 77th percentile for all big men. Here is his shooting % for each type of shot:
Rim = 72% → 57th percentile
Midrange = 49% → 73rd percentile
Three = 37% → 61st percentile
Sabonis prefers to get in the paint and play physically. He is fouled on 18.6% of all his shot attempts–putting him in the 86th percentile. He doesn’t mind faking the dribble hand-off from time to time to keep the defense guessing. The fake is often unexpected and leads to Sabonis being able to get to the goal and either finish or get fouled.
To put it shortly, Sabonis is a slightly below average defender and isn’t a great rim protector. However, he is a great rebounder. He’s good at making outlet passes directly after a defensive rebound. Despite his own speed, he plays a big part in how fast the Kings play.
All in all, the Kings got a great player in Domantas Sabonis. While many people think of him in the context of the trade with Haliburton, he’s been a culture shift for Sacramento. The trade ended up working out perfectly for both sides–which we can rarely say in the NBA. I wrote an article on Tyrese Haliburton yesterday if you want to check it out:
Sabonis is on a good contract ($19 mil/year), which is why the Kings were able to sign players such as Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk in the off-season. His high basketball IQ and innate scoring ability have created many open looks for his teammates. Sabonis is the engine behind the league’s #1 offense. Kings fans have a lot to be excited about. Sabonis and co. have given the Kings their first season above .500 since 2005-2006–when they had Bibby, Peja, Kevin Martin, Abdur-Raheem, and Ron Artest. There’s a new golden age of Kings basketball. LIGHT THE BEAM!!!
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