Domantas Sabonis Any Questions?

#5
Zubac has played really well lately. But not tonight.

And I thought Sabonis’ defense was huge tonight as well. This dude is a keeper.

And why do people think the Kings can’t resign him. He has a young family and a fat pad in Napa. Why would he leave?
 
#7
All the talk of Vlade Fan in the game thread got me thinking it might be time for this.
Vlade was the "God Father" of the Kings Golden Era. Sabonis gives me the same "God Father" vibe and the same unifying presence on the team.

He's bringing this team together as a "family" and family always have each others back. Great things can happen when you are willing to run through walls for each other! The chemistry on this team is palpable, it's special!
 

pdxKingsFan

Hall of Famer
#8
Vlade was the "God Father" of the Kings Golden Era. Sabonis gives me the same "God Father" vibe and the same unifying presence on the team.
Yeah it's clear to me that he brought the culture and vibe that 99 Vlade shot this team in the arm with.

Webber wasn't really a winner before he came here. Great player but he was available and heading to his third team for a reason. Vlade helped Webber, he helped Peja adapt to USA, he really wasn't fully appreciated I don't think until he left and the team crumbled. Even with Webber hurt we were doing pretty great with Miller and Vlade.

You could see the day Domas got here same thing he just took over and it was different. Pair with a real coach and some other guys of quality and it's on.
 
#10
Zubac has played really well lately. But not tonight.

And I thought Sabonis’ defense was huge tonight as well. This dude is a keeper.

And why do people think the Kings can’t resign him. He has a young family and a fat pad in Napa. Why would he leave?
I imagine no one's saying that now. Kings're doing well; everyone seems happy, not least Domas; and he's certainly appreciated. Keep this up and it'll be VERY surprising if he's not resigned.
 
#13
Honestly watching Sabonis back in college, never would've imagined he'd reach this level of effectiveness in the NBA. well done!

He's been excellent. How many games have there been like this? Sabonis is having these efforts like a heavyweight boxer who lands massive power shots early in the fight. A big part of why 4th quarters are turning to garbage time.

Thats really a great characteristic for this Kings team to have because our offense sure can be exhausting to try and comeback against.
 
#15
Honestly watching Sabonis back in college, never would've imagined he'd reach this level of effectiveness in the NBA. well done!

He's been excellent. How many games have there been like this? Sabonis is having these efforts like a heavyweight boxer who lands massive power shots early in the fight. A big part of why 4th quarters are turning to garbage time.

Thats really a great characteristic for this Kings team to have because our offense sure can be exhausting to try and comeback against.
I thought he was a mid-first rounder in college. And that he needed a 3pt shot to be a successful stretch 4 in the NBA. He is so much better than what I thought he could be.
 
#16
I think it's like when Brad Miller came here, there are some people for whom Sacramento really is a good fit. Sabonis's wife liked California and it seems they've found a nice halfway home for both of them in Napa.
I'm fairly certain her family and her business are here in Cali too. Assuming Kings don't fumble the bag offer, I honestly don't see why Sabonis would leave
 
#19
I'm fairly certain her family and her business are here in Cali too. Assuming Kings don't fumble the bag offer, I honestly don't see why Sabonis would leave
I think he could have Webber Vlade status in the heart of fans if he 1. Makes the playoffs and 2. He Stays. To be honest, if he leaves, i dont think he will ever be very remarkable in the memory of any fan base in particular, just by the journeyman nature his career has taken. But in 8 months i think he is probably more beloved in Sacramento already than he ever would be elsewhere.
 
#27
Very interesting. I know the narrative on him is he's a poor defender. Maybe he's just decent defending the post?
he’s always been a decent defender. Him and Turner were and elite defensive combo on the Pacers, they were not the problem with that team. Sabonis will never be and elite defensive player by himself, but you get good defensive pieces around him and his hustle and communication makes the defense better.
 
#29
I think a lot of the poor defender takes stem from the fact that he's not a shot blocker. He's not the guy who's going to sky in from the weak side swatting away shots. But his man defense has usually looked pretty solid to me.
And that was always the justification for pairing him with Turner. That Sabonis would benefit from playing alongside a shotblocker and Turner's outside shooting would help stretch the floor.

But the reality is that Turner is a good outside shooter but he also needs interior touches and plays better when there isn't another big clogging the paint and that Sabonis is a decent defender but shouldn't be chasing smallball PFs on the perimeter.

It's why Turner is having maybe the best season of his career statistically.

In terms of raw stats, Domas is actually a bit down from the last few years, but his per 36 and advanced stats look great. His TS% and eFG% are currently the best of his career and the numbers say he's been very effective on defense, especially the last few games.