Kings 2024-25 Season Preview: Domantas Sabonis

What should we expect from Sacramento Kings All-Star center Domantas Sabonis this season?

Dec 23, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (10) gestures to a teammate after a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Next up on the Sacramento Kings season preview list is two-time All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis. 

Sabonis is the player I’m most intrigued to see with new teammate DeMar DeRozan, for various reasons. The first is his ability to set screens and work with DeRozan in the pick-and-roll game.

Sabonis led the league with 6.0 screen assists and 14.1 screen assist points created last season. His ability to get others open, not only with his passing but also his screening ability should pair perfectly with DeRozan.

What sets Sabonis apart with his screens is that he sets them all over the court, including in the mid-range. We’ve seen him and Keegan Murray dance in the middle of the lane to create open looks for Keegan, and I expect the same type of looks for DeRozan in his patented mid-range game.

Domantas Sabonis 👑

Steal.

Dunk.

Ballgame.

🎥 @NBApic.twitter.com/YOBYDFooRb

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) March 8, 2024

The other aspect of Sabonis and DeRozan as a duo to watch for is how much Sabonis shoots from mid-range and beyond the arc. With the Chicago Bulls, Nikola Vucevic shot 2.9 field goal attempts from mid-range and 4.1 from beyond the arc. The pass out to Vucevic was a key aspect of DeRozan’s game over the last few seasons.

Sabonis sat at just 0.9 and 1.1 of each, respectfully, and made them at 45.8 and 37.9 percent clips. Great efficiency, just limited volume. Fans have been begging Sabonis to shoot more from beyond the arc since he got to Sacramento. His three-point shooting continues to be one of the biggest X-factors for the Kings offense this season.

A number I’ll be watching closely is Sabonis’ total field goal attempts. He averaged 13.0 attempts per game last season, compared to 11.9 in the year prior. I wouldn’t be surprised if that number dips to the 10-11 range with the addition of DeMar as the offensive production spreads out amongst the team.

The numbers I don’t expect to go down are Sabonis rebounding and assists. Domas led the league with 13.7 rebounds last season and has averaged over 12.0 rebounds for five straight years. Making it six in a row this year seems like a lock.

Domantas raised his assist number from 7.3 in 2022-23 to a career-high 8.2 last season, good for sixth-best in the NBA. That number may drop slightly depending on how the Kings structure their offense, but he should be in the 7-9 range at the end of the season.

Everything is primed for Sabonis to have another All-NBA caliber season. He continues to impact the game in a multitude of ways and is one of the most consistent players in the NBA. We know who Domantas Sabonis is and what he’s going to provide on a nightly basis, and that’s some extremely high-level basketball.

Previous 2024-25 Season Previews:

De’Aaron Fox

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