Domantas Sabonis Offensive Struggles- Missing his Buddies

April 7, 2024

When Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk went down, we all thought about how it would hurt the Kings offense. For Huerter is was missing his 3-point shooting and gravity he used to pull defenders towards him at all times. For Monk, it was his ability to score on all 3 levels and bring the scoring punch off the bench. What I don’t think we talked about enough is how they both made life easier for Domantas Sabonis, and how each of them had their own two-man game with the big.

One of Sabonis’ superpowers this year has been his efficiency. He isn’t shooting much, just 13.1 FGAs per game, but when he does he makes it at a high clip, 59.7%. In the last 10 games since Huerter went down, those numbers drop to 50% on 11.4 attempts per game. In the last 4 games without Monk, his attempts have gone up to 14.3 attempts, but the percentage dropped even lower to 49.1%.

We always talk about how Sabonis good of a passing big Sabonis is, setting up his teammates out of the DHO action and high post offense, but an underrated part of his game is his ability to operate as a roll man. In the last two years, he’s developed chemistry with both Monk and Huerter in the two-man game that we’ve seen over and over this season.

Monk setting up the pick and roll and dropping a seemingly impossible pocket pass to Sabonis. Huerter coming off the DHO and hitting Sabonis on the roll while he pulls the defense towards him. It’s not just the eye test that confirms the plays, but the numbers as well.

Sabonis has 368 Assisted Field Goals this season. Take a loot at the top 5 players those Assists have come from:

  • Malik Monk – 109
  • De’Aaron Fox – 73
  • Kevin Huerter – 63
  • Keegan Murray – 36
  • Harrison Barnes – 28

Monk and Huerter have combined to assist 172 of Sabonis’ 368 Assisted Field Goals, good for 46.7%. That a HUGE chunk and something that only Fox is in the range of replicating.

Sabonis’ FG% off of passes from teammates tells a similar story:

  • Kevin Huerter – 58.7%
  • Keon Ellis – 55.8%
  • Harrison Barnes – 54.8%
  • De’Aaron Fox – 53.3%
  • Malik Monk – 51.9%

So not only did Sabonis loose his leading assist man, but he also lost the teammate giving him his highest percentage shots. It’s not wonder that Sabonis is struggling to score at the same pace he was before the injuries.

Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell have stepped up big time and are hitting their 3’s, which makes defenders have to respect them and avoid solely packing the paint, but neither of them have the same chemistry setting up Sabonis that is suddenly missing.