Stat Breakdown: When Sabonis Shot More, Kings Won Less

The Sacramento Kings need Domantas Sabonis to be aggressive, but the numbers show they don't fare well when he shoots a high volume of shots.

Apr 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shoots during warm ups before the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings have a lot of questions going into next season, but one thing that feels set in stone is who their overall best player is. They have a lot of talent on the roster, including six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan and lights-out shooter Zach LaVine, but the nod for best player has to go to All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis.

But while Sabonis gets this distinction for the Kings after they traded De'Aaron Fox last season, that doesn't necessarily mean that Sabonis is their leading scorer. He contributes in more ways by passing, rebounding, and getting others open as the best screener in the league, but he doesn't generally lead the team in field goal attempts or scoring.

Sabonis averaged 12.8 field goal attempts last season, right in line with his 11.2 on his career, and just over his 12.6 per game as a Sacramento King.

Mar 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

One of the issues that the Kings ran into last season, especially after Fox was traded, was that they didn't have anyone who could take over the game. DeRozan filled that role at times, but on nights when he struggled, the Kings faltered late in games.

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For the Kings to surprise everyone in the upcoming season, they're going to need a monster year from their All-NBA center, which would likely mean he needs to drastically up his shooting numbers.

Sabonis has never been one to demand the ball and take over 20 field goal attempts on a nightly basis, but he has the skill to do so. He typically takes only high-quality shots, which helps him keep his shooting percentages high. Especially when it comes to his three-point shooting, it feels like he could take 2-3 more per game.

But while it feels like Sabonis should shoot more, the numbers from last year aren't as kind when looking at how his field goal attempts affected the team. Breaking down his 70 games into five different field attempt categories actually shows that the nights where Sabonis shot the most, the Kings did the worst.

• Under 10 FGA: 6-3 (0.667)

• 10-11 FGA: 8-9 (0.471)

• 12-14 FGA: 10-10 (0.500)

• 15-16 FGA: 8-5 (0.615)

• 17+ FGA: 4-7 (0.364)

What initially stands out is how few times Sabonis shot a high volume of shots in a game, with only 11 of his 70 games surpassing 17 field goal attempts. For additional context, DeRozan shot 17 or more times in 39 of his 77 games.

The other thing that stands out is that the Kings didn't fair well when Sabonis shot the ball more frequently, and they were actually 1-6 in the seven games where he attempted 19 or more field goals.

So maybe Sabonis doesn't need to up his field goal attempts next season for the Kings to succeed. Or maybe it's just an oddity that occurred in one of the most bizarre seasons in recent Kings history. But what worked so well during the Beam Team season was surrounding Sabonis with shooters, and that should theoretically make him and LaVine a good combo, but only time will tell.