After two months on the shelf, All-Star center Domantas Sabonis has returned to the Sacramento Kings. Things have changed on the roster, and Sabonis is playing off the bench often with at least one other big on his line to make up for his lack of defense. It seems to be working.
It feels like a lifetime ago, but Sabonis injured his knee on November 16 and has only recently returned. At this point, he has missed the vast majority of the season, putting Sacramento in the position of figuring out how to work without him. And they have done that.
The Kings have a better record without Sabonis than with him, even before their recent four-game winning streak. A big part of that has been the game play of Kings' rookies Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, as well as the incredible work of veteran defender Precious Achiuwa.
Things have changed in Sactown while Sabonis has been on the bench. The rookies are on the rise, with Raynaud taking over as the starting center and excelling in the role. Cardwell has proven to be a great backup and works incredibly well in tandem with Achiuwa on defense.
Sabonis can still work on the Kings but he needs a partner in crime
While Sabonis is a great rebounder in addition to being a solid scorer and playmaker when the offense is run through him, his defensive profile is minimal at best. In his return to the Kings' roster, Doug Christie seems to be acknowledging that issue and has established a workaround.
When Domas is on the court, fans will often see Achiuwa or Cardwell out with him. Both are big men who can defend at a high level and deliver explosive, high-energy offense. They make up for the bare bones defense Sabonis brings to the table in a major way. They also give him something else.
Specifically, the new bigs are slowly becoming targets for Sabonis to pass to. As mentioned before, he is a great rebounder as well as a playmaker. Raynaud, Achiuwa, and Cardwell can all score. If Christie runs the offense through Sabonis again, he could start feeding all three of these beasts.
There will come a time when the Kings finally trade Sabonis. Until then, the team needs to make the best of having him on the roster and put him to work. He's got three solid big men to work with who can help him with his weaknesses on the court and play to his strengths.