Kings HC Mike Brown Pushes Sabonis To Alter His Game

The Sacramento Kings star center could be changing his shot tendencies this season.

Feb 22, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) controls the ball during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

With the Sacramento Kings offseason addition of DeMar DeRozan, many fans have questioned how their floor spacing will look heading into the 2024-25 season. Sacramento's three stars, DeRozan, De'Aaron Fox, and Domantas Sabonis, are not the strongest three-point shooters, but there are many reasons not to doubt the high-powered offense.

Kings head coach Mike Brown spoke to the media following Saturday's training camp practice, giving an insight on what he has been telling star big man Domantas Sabonis to improve his game (via Sean Cunningham | FOX40):

[Sabonis has] worked really hard on [shooting three-pointers]. He shot it at a really high percentage for the volume that he did take them at... You go from one [attempt] to 3-5 a game and see where you are and see how the defense plays you. If he's going to shoot it at the same clip, or at least close to the same clip, now it's just going to create more space for everybody... I've talked to him about it and he's been working on it, but I'm not going to continue pressing him.

- Mike Brown, Sacramento Kings

Kings head coach Mike Brown details what accountability looks like after today's scrimmage, the message to his team and captains, encouraging Domantas Sabonis to shoot more 3's & attending Folsom vs. Oak Ridge last night. pic.twitter.com/7ZKiMaXBNT

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) October 5, 2024

Sabonis has never been a high-volume three-point shooter, but he typically knocks them down when he attempts them. Through his past two seasons in Sacramento, Sabonis has attempted just 1.1 threes per game but has knocked down 37.6 percent of them.

Brown makes it clear that he does not want to put pressure on Sabonis to shoot more threes, but he certainly believes it would make the offense that much more dangerous.

The most three-point attempts Sabonis has attempted per game in a season was 2.6 with the Indiana Pacers, but he made just 32.1 percent of them. It would take a lot for Sabonis to jump from 1.1 attempts per game to 3-5 as Brown wishes, but it would help the team tremendously if he was able to find a rhythm from beyond the arc.

Sabonis is already one of the league's best interior scorers, playmakers, and rebounders, so adding another facet to his game would make him virtually unstoppable.

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