After five seasons in Indiana, and a rookie year in Oklahoma, Domantas Sabonis finally packed his bags for California in a trade that left no one indifferent in the small world of the NBA.
Decried by many specialists who see it as a new professional fault on the part of the Kings, this exchange however started on a most positive note on Wednesday evening, with the victory of the Kings over the Wolves (132-119) against an audience at vibrant again, and above all a demonstration of basketball from the Baltic interior who finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists!
“Since my first second in the NBA, I have learned the hard way that the NBA is a business. I got traded on Draft night, and a year later I was still traded.” smiled Domantas Sabonis. “I’m trying to find a home where I feel loved…and I feel like I could find it here.” “
Freshly arrived in the Californian capital, he didn’t even have time to train with his new teammates, but his sense of the game spoke for him. Like this alley-oop pass for the powerful conclusion of Chimezie Metu, or this other well-felt caviar for Harrison Barnes all alone under the circle.
De’Aaron Fox in the arms of Domantas Sabonis
Another very symbolic image was the long hug between De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis at the end of the match. The two men, called to become the two strong men of the new Kings project, started off on the right foot, with an alchemy that seems rather promising.
“The new guys brought a lot to this game,” enjoyed Alvin Gentry. “All the players who have come on have done something very good for the team. We shared the ball well and had good ball circulation. I just found that we had developed a rhythm that held up well throughout the game. “
While waiting to see the long-term fallout from this exchange which sent Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield to Indiana, the Kings are enjoying this honeymoon with their three newcomers.
“It’s been 36 hours of madness since the announcement of the exchange. It’s a new start for me and it’s exciting.” concludes the son of Arvydas. “We want to be here [avec Justin Holiday et Jeremy Lamb], I want to be here. The fans have been amazing. I don’t know what to say yet, I’m still in shock. [Hier] was a very good day. “
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktSdDeyEVE
| Domantas Sabonis | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2016-17 | OKAY | 81 | 20 | 39.9 | 32.1 | 65.7 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 5.9 |
| 2017-18 | IND | 74 | 25 | 51.4 | 35.1 | 75.0 | 2.2 | 5.5 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 11.6 |
| 2018-19 | IND | 74 | 25 | 59.0 | 52.9 | 71.5 | 2.5 | 6.8 | 9.3 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 14.1 |
| 2019-20 | IND | 62 | 35 | 54.0 | 25.4 | 72.3 | 3.1 | 9.4 | 12.4 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 18.5 |
| 2020-21 | IND | 62 | 36 | 53.5 | 32.1 | 73.2 | 2.4 | 9.6 | 12.0 | 6.7 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 20.3 |
| 2021-22 | IND | 47 | 35 | 58.0 | 32.4 | 74.0 | 3.3 | 8.8 | 12.1 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 18.9 |
| Total | 400 | 28 | 53.3 | 32.2 | 72.7 | 2.2 | 6.9 | 9.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 14.2 | |
