A Royal Prospect: Domantas Sabonis

The Sacramento Kings will have plenty of players to choose from in this upcoming NBA Draft, but today ARP will focus primarily on one prospect, and that individual is Domantas Sabonis.

Sabonis, who stands at 6’10 and weighing 231 pounds, has spent his last two years at Gonzaga University.

Statistics

In his career with the Bulldogs, the 6’10 southpaw averaged 13.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game off a career field-goal percentage of 63.2. In his most recent season, he averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game off 61.1% shooting from the court.

Draft Range

According to various mock drafts, Sabonis is projected to be selected anywhere from #8-17. Most likely the Kings, who currently have the #8 pick in the draft, will have the opportunity to select Sabonis without having to trade up in the draft order. But how would Sabonis fit if he were to play for Sacramento next season?

The Fit

If Sabonis were to play his rookie season in Sacramento, his role would most likely be playing as a backup big behind DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Sabonis’ game is centered around his ability to score in the paint and grab the boards. The only offensive-oriented big man on the Kings roster currently is Cousins, so Sabonis would fill a need for Sacramento’s bench as an offensive asset in the frontcourt.

Express Yourself

So Kings fans, how would feel about the Kings possibly drafting Domantas Sabonis to be with the purple and white next season?

To express your opinions on this issue, feel free to partake in our survey that is currently up on our Twitter account.

Should the Sacramento Kings draft Domantas Sabonis in the draft?
— A Royal Pain (@ARoyalPain) June 12, 2016

Rafe’s Thoughts

Sabonis showed throughout his collegiate career that he can score and rebound at an efficient rate, but it won’t be as easy once he gets to the professional level due to his lack of length and size.

More from A Royal Pain

In his sophomore season, he did make improvements in developing a jump shot to his arsenal, so if his stroke keeps improving he can eventually become an efficient scorer in the NBA.

He will also need to improve on his defense, primarily his ability to be a rim-protector, which was a deficiency in his overall game. He did, however, show a high-level of effort on both ends of the court with Gonzaga, which is an attribute that his teammates and Kings fans would appreciate from him.

All in all, Sabonis has the capability of being an effective and energetic big man for the Kings bench, but when it comes to selecting him at #8 there will be better talent available for the Kings to choose from.

Next: Is Willie Cauley-Stein Tradable?

If the Kings were to trade down to around the #15-20 slots in the draft order and Sabonis is still available, I think it would be a steal for the Kings to select him then.

Rafe’s Comparison: Luis Scola

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