Domantas Sabonis Any Questions?
- Thread starter HndsmCelt
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It’s no coincidence that Kings players lead the league with the fewest games missed due to injury, writes Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. Good fortune plays a role, but there’s also a team philosophy that rejects the idea of load management.
Domantas Sabonis is among the players who typify that attitude, Biderman notes. Sabonis only missed one game when he suffered an avulsion fracture to his non-shooting thumb in December and another due to illness in January. Sabonis may need surgery on his thumb, but he refuses to consider it until the season ends and has been playing with a wrap and splint on his right hand.
“We need to win games,” Sabonis said. “We need to put ourselves in the best position for playoffs. If I miss a game and we lose, I’ll never forgive myself.”
Domantas Sabonis is among the players who typify that attitude, Biderman notes. Sabonis only missed one game when he suffered an avulsion fracture to his non-shooting thumb in December and another due to illness in January. Sabonis may need surgery on his thumb, but he refuses to consider it until the season ends and has been playing with a wrap and splint on his right hand.
“We need to win games,” Sabonis said. “We need to put ourselves in the best position for playoffs. If I miss a game and we lose, I’ll never forgive myself.”
I don’t see why it‘s hard.
Didn’t Russell Westbrick accomplish the feat like 3x now? Haven’t we gotten past the “wow” factor of it?
I mean, we now live in an offensive era where not only is averaging a triple double WAY more possible than it’s been in like 50 years, we have SIX players averaging over 30 points per game. And the Bearded Hag averaged 36 and 34 just 6 and 5 seasons ago respectively.
These feats aren’t as impressive as they used to be. When only like one special player could do it. In an era where averaging over 100 points was considered high scoring. Because much more physical defense could be played. And player movement was more restrictive (no euro step, no 3-4 step shuffle back threes)
And they weren’t shooting 35-50 three’s per game. Dude are getting easy assists just for bringing the ball up and pushing a pass into the short corner for a three.
It’s much easier than at least the 1960’s to average 25+ and even a triple double.
Furthermore, if Denver continues with this recent collapse, it becomes super easy to give it to Embiid or Giannis.
Quite honestly, I think Jokic should be 3rd at best. Giving it to him is like when Steve Nash won it twice in a row. Nash was never the best player in the league, just a one-dimensional offensive talent that always faded in the postseason. Jokic is the same.
Giannis is the best player 2-way player in the league and has already proven his worth as a champion. Embiid has fallen short like Jokic to this point in time, but he is and has been a phenomenal 2-way player. And has seemingly turned up his play this season, hitting game winners and making elite defensive plays to win games.
That’s my other point of contention with handing the award to offensive-only players. It’s much, much harder to be elite and play both ends just as hard. You can’t save all your energy up for offense, as the Nash, Harden, and Jokic’s of the world do. If Nikola was capable of being a defensive stalwart and actually focused as much effort and energy on that end all game, every game — he wouldn’t be averaging a triple double.
Those are things I believe many don’t consider or understand.
Didn’t Russell Westbrick accomplish the feat like 3x now? Haven’t we gotten past the “wow” factor of it?
I mean, we now live in an offensive era where not only is averaging a triple double WAY more possible than it’s been in like 50 years, we have SIX players averaging over 30 points per game. And the Bearded Hag averaged 36 and 34 just 6 and 5 seasons ago respectively.
These feats aren’t as impressive as they used to be. When only like one special player could do it. In an era where averaging over 100 points was considered high scoring. Because much more physical defense could be played. And player movement was more restrictive (no euro step, no 3-4 step shuffle back threes)
And they weren’t shooting 35-50 three’s per game. Dude are getting easy assists just for bringing the ball up and pushing a pass into the short corner for a three.
It’s much easier than at least the 1960’s to average 25+ and even a triple double.
Furthermore, if Denver continues with this recent collapse, it becomes super easy to give it to Embiid or Giannis.
Quite honestly, I think Jokic should be 3rd at best. Giving it to him is like when Steve Nash won it twice in a row. Nash was never the best player in the league, just a one-dimensional offensive talent that always faded in the postseason. Jokic is the same.
Giannis is the best player 2-way player in the league and has already proven his worth as a champion. Embiid has fallen short like Jokic to this point in time, but he is and has been a phenomenal 2-way player. And has seemingly turned up his play this season, hitting game winners and making elite defensive plays to win games.
That’s my other point of contention with handing the award to offensive-only players. It’s much, much harder to be elite and play both ends just as hard. You can’t save all your energy up for offense, as the Nash, Harden, and Jokic’s of the world do. If Nikola was capable of being a defensive stalwart and actually focused as much effort and energy on that end all game, every game — he wouldn’t be averaging a triple double.
Those are things I believe many don’t consider or understand.
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Domas not wasting any time cementing himself as the single most important acquisition in franchise history...He's motivated to even surpass the likes of Mr. Webber and Mr. Divac.
To be perfectly honest with you, he may have already surpassed one of them, and some may even argue that he has also surpassed the other, but, in reality, the jury is still out on that one.
To be perfectly honest with you, he may have already surpassed one of them, and some may even argue that he has also surpassed the other, but, in reality, the jury is still out on that one.
I don't think there's any question he's better than Vlade but this is still year 1.25. The franchise changing impact is clearly there. I think his FA will go a lot smoother than Webber's - I don't expect Vivek will have to offer to mow his lawn (or harvest his grapes, as the case may be)
It's very likely he can end up with a longer and more impactful tenure but that's just the misfortune of Webber's injury, and the way the franchise so quickly tossed him aside likely soured him on the city, which is why he seems to be the one golden age player to not have come back around (Bibby maybe a bit too)
The difference between Bagley and Domas in terms of injuries is also an underrated part of the culture change.
Bagley's constant injury problems were frustrating, but it's hard to blame the player too much. Some guys just get hurt more often and are slow to recover.
But the fact that Sabonis missed one game with an avulsion fracture and has gone on to have the best season of his career sets a tone. We would have all been disappointed if he'd taken 4-6 weeks off to let it heal, but nobody would have begrudged him that. The fact that he didn't shows the rest of the roster how invested he is in winning. That can't help but rub off on the rest of the locker room.
Bagley's constant injury problems were frustrating, but it's hard to blame the player too much. Some guys just get hurt more often and are slow to recover.
But the fact that Sabonis missed one game with an avulsion fracture and has gone on to have the best season of his career sets a tone. We would have all been disappointed if he'd taken 4-6 weeks off to let it heal, but nobody would have begrudged him that. The fact that he didn't shows the rest of the roster how invested he is in winning. That can't help but rub off on the rest of the locker room.
Sabonis has never made it out of the first round of the playoffs.
His rookie season in OKC was the first after KD left for Golden State and they lost to the Rockets 1-4 in that first series.
The next year in Indiana the Cavs bounced them out 3-4 in the first round.
The next two years they were swept in the first round, first by the Celtics and then the Heat.
Last year neither the Pacers nor the Kings made the playoffs.
I don't think Sabonis needs to be in a big city and his wife likes being in California. But I DO think he wants to win at this stage of his career. I think he re-signs regardless, but if the Kings can make a small run this postseason I think it becomes a slam dunk deal for him to remain in Sacramento.
His rookie season in OKC was the first after KD left for Golden State and they lost to the Rockets 1-4 in that first series.
The next year in Indiana the Cavs bounced them out 3-4 in the first round.
The next two years they were swept in the first round, first by the Celtics and then the Heat.
Last year neither the Pacers nor the Kings made the playoffs.
I don't think Sabonis needs to be in a big city and his wife likes being in California. But I DO think he wants to win at this stage of his career. I think he re-signs regardless, but if the Kings can make a small run this postseason I think it becomes a slam dunk deal for him to remain in Sacramento.