The Sabonis Thread

The last week or so the streak has been in near constant jeopardy and I am not sure if making sure he kept it alive took precedent over winning. It was fun while it lasted and I am sad it has ended, but it might be a blessing in disguise.
 
Sabonis played like a warrior. Too bad that, in Monk's absence, there was no one to run the pick-and-roll with him. I counted not a single one against New Orleans.

Perhaps the team should have Malik, or someone like Steve Nash, give a master class in how to run the pick-and-roll. It would pay dividends down the road.

It was distressing to see that in the last three games, Sabonis did not make a single shot that was more than a foot or two outside the circle. So many people put that down as a weakness in last season's playoffs, and it came back at the worst possible time, despite his otherwise stellar play.
 
Caccia said:
Sabonis played like a warrior. Too bad that, in Monk's absence, there was no one to run the pick-and-roll with him. I counted not a single one against New Orleans.

Perhaps the team should have Malik, or someone like Steve Nash, give a master class in how to run the pick-and-roll. It would pay dividends down the road.

It was distressing to see that in the last three games, Sabonis did not make a single shot that was more than a foot or two outside the circle. So many people put that down as a weakness in last season's playoffs, and it came back at the worst possible time, despite his otherwise stellar play.
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True, true... With Pacers it was always 'give and take" - that's why Pacers got good quick.
It was always a BIG MYSTERY for me how Kings couldn't cook up some plays for the Domas inside.
Yes, Monk could set up up Domas just fine. What about others??? Team-mates, coaches??? Looks like they are just incapable...
 
Caccia said:
Sabonis played like a warrior. Too bad that, in Monk's absence, there was no one to run the pick-and-roll with him. I counted not a single one against New Orleans.

Perhaps the team should have Malik, or someone like Steve Nash, give a master class in how to run the pick-and-roll. It would pay dividends down the road.

It was distressing to see that in the last three games, Sabonis did not make a single shot that was more than a foot or two outside the circle. So many people put that down as a weakness in last season's playoffs, and it came back at the worst possible time, despite his otherwise stellar play.
Click to expand...
Yeah maybe one of the coaches, or perhaps the coach, should do something like that. On second thought, making adjustments and teaching the players basketball isn't the coaches job. It's... the players'?
 
Caccia said:
Sabonis played like a warrior. Too bad that, in Monk's absence, there was no one to run the pick-and-roll with him. I counted not a single one against New Orleans.

Perhaps the team should have Malik, or someone like Steve Nash, give a master class in how to run the pick-and-roll. It would pay dividends down the road.

It was distressing to see that in the last three games, Sabonis did not make a single shot that was more than a foot or two outside the circle. So many people put that down as a weakness in last season's playoffs, and it came back at the worst possible time, despite his otherwise stellar play.
Click to expand...
Sabonis’ passing and dribbling for his size if obviously elite. His rebounding is top 3. His scoring ability though is average. His lack of confidence in pulling a jumper from outside the paint and not really being a lob threat is what makes running a PnR with him not an effective strategy that you can consistently count on. He’s a bit too one-dimensional around the basket while almost exclusively favoring his left hand, but his strength allows him to get away with it most of the time. Hate to say it but Sengun is a much more skilled scorer
 
Tizzy Flip said:
Sabonis’ passing and dribbling for his size if obviously elite. His rebounding is top 3. His scoring ability though is average. His lack of confidence in pulling a jumper from outside the paint and not really being a lob threat is what makes running a PnR with him not an effective strategy that you can consistently count on. He’s a bit too one-dimensional around the basket while almost exclusively favoring his left hand, but his strength allows him to get away with it most of the time. Hate to say it but Sengun is a much more skilled scorer
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Yeah, Sabonis reluctance to pull the trigger on 3s and mid-range jumpers really limits what the Kings can do on offense. A few more 3s per game would go a long way in helping the Kings keep defenses honest. Even Jokic taking 2.9 compared to Domas's 1.1 3s per game allows Denver offense to flow much more smoothly. If Sabonis could average 3-4 3s per game, the Kings would be able to open up more options for players that would fit the other 4/5 spots next to Sabonis. And Sabonis is a decent/good 3 point shooter (37.9%) for a big man.

I think more 3s by Domas and less 3s by Fox (with more drives to the basket) would go a long way in fixing the Kings offensvie problems that we saw this season.
 
I wish Sabonis used a baby hook more too. Jonas made a zillion of them on him. It's not like Domas doesn't have the skill to do it, he just seems to prefer trying to bulldoze everyone. The same chest bump with a then-wide-open hook would be so effective against those bigger bodies he can't push just out of the way.
 
Tizzy Flip said:
Sabonis’ passing and dribbling for his size if obviously elite. His rebounding is top 3. His scoring ability though is average. His lack of confidence in pulling a jumper from outside the paint and not really being a lob threat is what makes running a PnR with him not an effective strategy that you can consistently count on. He’s a bit too one-dimensional around the basket while almost exclusively favoring his left hand, but his strength allows him to get away with it most of the time. Hate to say it but Sengun is a much more skilled scorer
Click to expand...

I don’t think a player averaging 19 points a game on elite efficiency can be considered an average scorer. Especially when almost none of his points come in easy lobs situations. In addition to the elite traits you pointed out, he has incredible footwork, maybe the best among centers. He’s a good three point shooter and can hit the mid range shot he just isn’t aggressive enough there. Still, he dominates nearly every center he plays including one of the best defenders in the game (AD), more than holds his own against joker and even dropped 23 on 9-14 against a guy he allegedly struggles against (Val) in the last game.
 
The_Jamal said:
So we won the Hali-Domas trade right with Hali's horrible first playoff game?

That's how this works?
Click to expand...

I wonder if that pairing with Siakam has hurt Hali’s game some. Even though the Pacers share the ball well it was so heliocentric with Hali initiating everything. Now you have another guy who is a talented passer in the post. They have had a good season but now they have to figure out how to maximize their core guys
 
iowamcnabb said:
I wonder if that pairing with Siakam has hurt Hali’s game some. Even though the Pacers share the ball well it was so heliocentric with Hali initiating everything. Now you have another guy who is a talented passer in the post. They have had a good season but now they have to figure out how to maximize their core guys
Click to expand...

It really is looking like a problem for Hali. He's an incredible offensive hub, but the second you give him some quality help thats needs the ball; uh-oh, things start to go wonky.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1782245620180562405

He was on a legendary pace that first 30 games of the year, but he's looked...not great since then. Certainly not the all-star starter/future of the PG position that we were promised.
 
He was injured though? Playing hurt to try to make all nba for the bonuses on his designated rookie deal?
 
ikon_zero said:
I wish Sabonis used a baby hook more too. Jonas made a zillion of them on him. It's not like Domas doesn't have the skill to do it, he just seems to prefer trying to bulldoze everyone. The same chest bump with a then-wide-open hook would be so effective against those bigger bodies he can't push just out of the way.
Click to expand...
100%.

Strong centers that he can't push around and that don't bite on his shot fakes are the kryponite for Sabonis. The baby hook is something that he can add as a reliable move in his bag. I swear he did more post moves in Indiana.
 
mrlaze said:
I was watching Sheed and Tyler and they put up a stat that said other players think Domas is like the 12th most overrated player. Wtf?
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Well, I’d guess this is just some crummy aggregation. The Athletic recently ran a survey of NBA players that included a question of who was the most overrated player in the league. Domas was tied with four other players with 2.5% of the vote. 81 votes were cast, so if my math is correct, that means he received a whopping two (2) votes. I’m not sure that means much of anything! (Although I’ll note that Hali, at 3.7% , must have received three votes). Sabonis also received a vote for most underrated player.

Source here:https://theathletic.com/5433545/202...bert-timberwolves/?source=user_shared_articleAnonymous NBA player poll 2024: LeBron or Jordan as the GOAT? Most overrated? Finals favorite?
 
WOW, Domas next season will wear number 11. What #11 means for Domas - he named his second child, daughter, Eleven.
In one of the recent interviews Domas was asked how he does compare himself to his father, answer was simple: "Not even close". Don't get me wrong. Domas is very good. Exceptional. I hope that he will improve his mid-range shot (that's the only one area that I see him lacking). FT%? It's more mental. Couple times in his career his was around 80+% for long stretches. Last season he definitely struggled from the line. Those couple extra points had easily the chance to result in couple more wins for the Kings.
I was touched how retired #11 issue was handled form both sides. Family, loyalty, sportsmanship - lot's of things come to my mind. I have one foolish hope - maybe the luck will turn for the Kings?
 
NewArena said:
Man, as excited as i am to see DeMar and Fox, i'm even more excited to see the fit with Sabonis. I think they're going to LOVE playing together and develop their own sick two-man connection
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crazy to hear all these “experts” talk about how bad the fit is and the lack of spacing, but not one word about how Sabonis elite screens and passing will help DeRozan in the same way he unlocked Fox.
 
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