Taking a deeper look at Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
This offseason, there has been quite a bit of talk about the Sacramento Kings when it comes to center Domantas Sabonis, but with the Detroit Pistons recently extending center Jalen Duren, Sabonis will very likely be on this roster to start the 2026 season.
With that said, I want to take a look at where Sabonis went to college, how he has performed in the NBA so far, and the type of impact he could make for the Kings in 2026.
Starting off with Sabonis and his college career, he played for the Gonzage Bulldogs for two season which was 2014-2015 and 2015 and 2016.
In college with Gonzaga, Sabonis was a very solid presence on the interior as he averaged 13.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game which showed his ability to be a great scorer and rebounder, but also that he had some solid playmaking ability as well.
When it came to Sabonis on the efficiency side, he was very reliable as he shot 63.2 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three, and 72.9 percent from the free-throw line. Looking at these splits, it is clear that Sabonis was solid from the field and at the free-throw line in college, however it is important to note that while he had solid college three-point percentage, he was not a volume perimeter shooter.
Additionally, Sabonis had a quite a successful career at Gonzaga when it came to team success as he was able to help the Bulldogs to get to the National Championship Game in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, but they did fall short against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Regardless, Sabonis had a college career to be proud of at Gonzaga.
Following Sabonis and his successful college career, he declared for the 2016 NBA Draft where he was selected by the Orlando Magic in the first round with the No. 11 overall pick, but on draft night his draft rights were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As a result of the trade, Sabonis played the first season of his NBA career with the Thunder and then after that season Sabonis was traded to the Indiana Pacers in a trade that sent Paul George to Oklahoma City.
After being traded for the second time since being drafted, Sabonis was able to stay with the Pacers a few seasons and was solid. Then, at the the trade deadline during the 2021-2022 season he was traded to the Kings and the Pacers received Tyrese Haliburton among other players.
Ever since being traded to Sacramento, Sabonis has been a solid contributor and in particular he has thrived on the offensive end.
When it comes the career averages for Sabonis he has been solid as he has posted averages of 16.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game which highlights his strengths of scoring, rebounding, and playmaking.
In the Sacramento offense, Sabonis is one of the better facilitators as he can make great passes from the top, from the post and really all over the floor. Additionally, Sabonis rebounds well on both ends of the floor, and does a great job being able to score at the rim with solid efficiency.
On that note, Sabonis has had career shooting splits of 55.9 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from three, and 72.9 percent from the free-throw line. Overall, Sabonis has been a great scorer and he should be able to make a great impact on that front in 2026.
So, as Sabonis and the Kings head into the 2026 season, if Sabonis can rely on his strengths of rebounding, scoring, and playmaking, he could have a strong start to the season, which could be huge for both Sacramento and Sabonis through this season.
