So far, the Sacramento Kings have managed to win one game this season. It's worth noting that it was one of two games that Domantas Sabonis didn't have a double-double. With Dylan Cardwell back and Maxime Raynaud on the verge, it might be time to cut Sabonis' minutes back. Way back.
There's no question that Sabonis can put up some big numbers. As it stands right now, he's averaging a double-double of points and rebounds this season, something he's done many times before. As long as you run your offense through him, Sabonis can be incredibly effective at that end of the court.
He's not without his problems. Sabonis is an undersized center who struggles on defense and seems increasingly unwilling to shoot the three. On top of that, there are unverified reports that he's unhappy working with Darius Acuff Jr., as the offense is running through him more and more.
Keeping in mind that reporting on the Acuff situation is, at best, based on rumors, the Kings do have a Sabonis problem. Now, Cardwell, who is far better on defense, is back from injury. And at some point in the not-too-distant future, Raynaud is also going to make his return. That means change is coming.
The Kings need to scale Sabonis back
Is Sacramento going to bench Sabonis? Ideally, yes. In reality, that isn't going to happen considering how much money the Kings are paying him. That doesn't mean that this team has to keep playing him an average of 35.6 minutes per game. It's safe to say running him that much isn't collecting wins.
Scale him back. Keep him in each game for 20 to 25 minutes, then split the rest between Cardwell and Raynaud. It's also worth noting that both Sabonis and Raynaud can pick up time at power forward if need be, though the Kings have other players who need minutes at that position, too.
Sabonis is not the future of the Kings. Quite literally everyone knows it, including Sabonis, who reportedly wants out of Sacramento. There are allegedly teams interested in him, but it's the same rumored franchises that have gone nowhere before. It's hard not to expect anything different now.
In all likelihood, he will play out his remaining Kings contract in Sacramento, or at least the vast majority of it. Until Sabonis does finally move on to his next team, the Kings need to put more time into Cardwell and Raynaud. They are a huge part of this franchise's future.
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