Kings Announce Domantas Sabonis Injury Update, Status for Season Opener

The Sacramento Kings announced that Domantas Sabonis suffered a grade 1 hamstring strain.

Oct 8, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward/center Domantas Sabonis (11) is introduced during player introductions before the game against the Toronto Raptors at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings announced that All-Star center Domantas Sabonis suffered a grade 1 hamstring strain in the preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers and will be reevaluated in one week.

Kings announce medical update on Domantas Sabonis. MRI revealed a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He will be reevaluated in one week. pic.twitter.com/qTzhBukTRX

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) October 18, 2025

That means that Sabonis will miss the season opener on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns, and possibly more games as the Kings play on Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with a busy first week of the season.

The good news is that Sabonis has always healed fast and is one of the most resilient players in the league, having played in 70, 82, and 79 games each of the last three seasons, respectively. Sacramento has a daunting start of the season with their schedule, so getting their All-NBA caliber center back will be crucial for them to surprise everyone and compete in the West.

Until then, the Kings will rely on Drew Eubanks, Isaac Jones, Dario Saric, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell to fill in at the center position. So far in the preseason, Jones and Saric have been filling in for Keegan Murray, and Eubanks got the start in the final preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers

Eubanks isn't an All-Star caliber player like Sabonis, but fortunately for the Kings, he does have a similar skillset to Sabonis. He can run the offense from the high-post, set screens to run the dribble handoff action, and is an underrated passer and defender.

Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward/center Drew Eubanks (19) shoots during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

He's not the type of player you want to start all 82 games for the season, but it's nice having a backup center with the same skillset as Sabonis, something the Kings haven't had in the past with previous rosters. Jonas Valančiūnas was one of the best backup centers in the league last year, but he brings more of an old-school approach to the position.

Raynaud should also benefit from getting more playing time early in his career. He's continued to show flashes of the potential that had him as first-round pick in many mock drafts throughout the preseason.

He still looks a little raw on the defensive side of the ball and with the physicality of the NBA, but that's something that playing time should help him improve quickly. He ended up playing just over 15 minutes against the Clippers last night, and finished with 9 points and 2 rebounds on 3-of-4, 75%, shooting from the field.

The other player who could benefit from some extra playing time is two-way player Cardwell. When the Kings signed him as an undrafted free agent, his main calling card was his defense. And he's shown just that during Summer League and the preseason.

He has a huge presence at the rim that the Kings have lacked for years. If Doug Christie wants to lean on defense, Cardwell could be the best option.

It's never ideal to lose an All-Star, especially with Murray already out, but at least the Kings have options and the injury isn't worse. Fingers crossed, Sabonis continues to make a quicker recovery than others and is back on the court soon.