Domantas Sabonis is Being Underutilized in Clutch Time

Domantas Sabonis is having the best season of his career, but when it comes to clutch time, the Kings have repeatedly turned to other options.

Will Zimmerle | Feb 14, 2025

Feb 5, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) looks on during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are coming off a disappointing overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in which their clutch time offense looked stagnant and disjointed.

The Kings went to DeMar DeRozan repeatedly down the stretch, but DeRozan was unable to connect on any of his looks. And I don't mean that figuratively, he literally went 0-of-7 from the field.

Before the trade, Sacramento had two of the best clutch players in the game in De'Aaron Fox and DeRozan, so it comes as no surprise that they've relied heavily on the six-time All-Star since the trade took place.

But in games like last night when DeRozan isn't hitting anything, the Kings need to have a backup plan, and remember that they have one of the best players in the league on their roster in Domantas Sabonis.

DOMANTAS SABONIS TONIGHT:

22 POINTS
28 REBOUNDS
5 ASSISTS
10/16 FGM

28 REBOUNDS IS INSANE. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/bLk7OTKGTI
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 14, 2025

Sabonis is having the best season of his career, averaging 20.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on 60% from the field and 45.5% from three. But when it comes to clutch time, Sabonis rarely gets the ball, and when he does, he even more rarely shoots.

Sabonis has played 120.6 minutes of clutch time this year, second most in the NBA to only Tyler Herro. In those 120.6 minutes though, he's taken only 27 field goal attempts, tied for 51st with Jaden McDaniels and Dillon Brooks.

There's no reason McDaniels and Brooks should have the same amount of clutch field goal attempts as the All-NBA center.

Of those 27 attempts, Sabonis has made 22 of them, good for an 81.5% clip. That includes shooting 5-of-6, 83.3%, from beyond the arc. That 83.3% ranks first out of the 162 players who have attempted at least ten clutch time field goals.

Sabonis doesn't have the prototypical clutch time game, where guards and wings typically have the ball in their hands, but he does have the ability to go and get a bucket on his own accord.

Whether it be dumping the ball down low and letting him go to work or driving from the top of the key, Sabonis has shown he's effective at creating for himself all year.

DeMar DeRozan isn't going to have many games where he goes ice-cold in the clutch, but when he does, or even just to give different looks, the Kings should remember that they have a top-15 player in the league. And that top-15 player deserves more looks with the game on the line.

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