Sabonis' Three-Point Shot Could Define the Kings' Season

In the dog days of summer, as we wait for the offseason to crawl to a close, we're left to ponder what the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season will look like. Things are starting to get clearer for the Sacramento Kings as the roster nears its final shape, but that doesn't mean there aren't still questions around what rotations and players will look like in their second year under Scott Perry and Doug Christie.

All indications are that Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine will be back for another season in Sacramento following an offseason of trade rumors. While LaVine's role is still up in the air, Sabonis will surely be a huge part of the Kings' offense.

A huge part of that will be working with rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. in the pick-and-roll, but the bigger question around Sabonis' game, as it has been for years, is if he can get his three-point shooting up to where opponents will have to worry about him on the perimeter.

Sabonis' three-point volume has been a talking point in Sacramento dating back to the 2022-23 Beam Team season. The hope was that he would continue to improve his efficiency and up his volume, and while there was a slight increase in 2024-25, Sabonis' three-point volume never took off like many hoped.

That year, Sabonis shot 41.7% on 2.2 attempts per game. It more than doubled the amound of threes he took the year prior, but still wasn't enough to make defenders step out and guard him on the perimeter.

Last season, Sabonis' three-point production fell off a cliff completely. He shot 18.5% on 1.4 attempts, so it's safe to say he didn't build on the increased production from the year before. To be fair, Sabonis did deal with injuries and played just 19 games, which likely led to the dip in production.

Two-Big Lineups

Jan 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Looking ahead to this year, part of what the Kings are going to have to experiment with is the two-big lineup with the trio of Sabonis, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell on the roster. The hope is that Raynaud will also take a leap in his three-point production. But getting both him and Sabonis going from beyond the arc would do wonders to open up the Kings' offense.

But for any two-big lineup to work, at least one of the bigs will have to take more threes, and the odds of that being Cardwell are slim, to say the least.

Sabonis upping his three-point production would also skyrocket his trade value, which would be beneficial to both him and the Kings in the fact that he could get moved to a contender at the trade deadline. So much of this year is about the future rather than the season itself, and Sabonis' three-point volume falls into that same category. Getting him to take more threes would be great for getting a few more wins, but the more important part could be the trade value.

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