Kings forward Domantas Sabonis has proven his ability to adapt
After a rookie season with the Thunder, the power forward transformed his offensive game in Indiana.
Yes, the Kings traded away one of the most efficient young point guards in the NBA. And no, they did not rid themselves of one of the most bloated point guard contracts.
What the playoff-starved franchise did do, however, is add one of the premier big men in Domantas Sabonis, a sixth-year player who has proven able to adapt to new surroundings. A breakdown of the power forward’s career shows a player who has increased his efficiency by altering his style of play.
The No. 11 pick out of Gonzaga averaged 20 minutes as a rookie in Oklahoma City, attempting more 3-pointers (159) than he would over the next three seasons combined after being traded to Indiana. A comparison of his rookie season to current season, adjusting stats over 36 minutes of play, shows spikes nearly across the board.
The change in offense resulted in a player who now makes nearly 20% more shots than his rookie season, and has seen his effective FG% (adjusted for 3-pointers being worth more points) spike more than 15%. It’s not that his 3-point shot has deteriorated. Sabonis’ current 32.4% is better than his rookie season and ranks fifth on the Kings, ahead of point guards De’Aaron Fox (26.4%) and Davion Mitchell (31.5%).
Getting into deeper analytics, Sabonis has seen his total rebounding percentage nearly double in Indiana (some of that might be from not having Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams as teammates). Sabonis is averaging the most offensive boards of his career (3.3). Despite Indiana’s 19-37 record, Sabonis ranks 12th in the NBA in win shares (6.4), the most of any player on a losing team. Among players who have played 200 minutes, his 22.9 Player Efficiency Rating ranks 19th.
Based on career win shares, Sabonis has had the most productive career of any 2016 draft pick. Marquese Chriss, the No. 8 pick by Sacramento that year, ranks 21st. Only Buddy Hield (442) has played in more games than Sabonis (400).
When looking at the most recent seasons of the most productive 2016 picks, Sabonis’ numbers stack up. Among all players drafted since 2016, the newly acquired Kings forward averages the second-most rebounds (9.1) behind Deandre Ayton (10.6).
But it’s the focus on interior scoring that has been most startling. In two seasons, Sabonis cut the percentage of 3-pointers attempted from 33% to 2%.
The interior scoring has led to a drastic rise in field-goal percentage, as he led Indiana (58.0%) in that category this season.