Kings' Domantas Sabonis gets 100% real about playing hurt amid brutal skid
Yesterday at 11:28 AM
Things continue to go from bad to worse for the floundering Sacramento Kings. They fell flat on their faces on Sunday night during the second of a back-to-back as they suffered a 122-95 demolition at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. This defeat is their fourth in a row, knocking them down to 13-17 on the season, and in the loaded Western Conference, it is not easy to recover from this slow of a start.
It’s gut check time for the Kings; this is no time to throw one’s hands up and concede even though they are falling off the Western Conference standings (they are currently at 13th). And for Domantas Sabonis, who has proven time and time again that he is as tough as nails, he knows that it’s necessary for him to power through anything that is ailing him to help the Kings snap out of their funk.
“We're at this point where I can't really rest, even if it's hurting. We've got to try and win games and I feel like my team needs me,” Sabonis said in his postgame presser following their loss to the Pacers, via Brenden Nunes of Sactown Sports 1140.
Domantas Sabonis on tonight's loss, moving forward, and his health:
Said he's "pretty bruised up," but will be okay.
"We're at this point where I can't really rest, even if it's hurting. We've got to try and win games and I feel like my team needs me." pic.twitter.com/wKCtJd0cnI
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 23, 2024
Indeed, the Kings don’t have much room for error, and while there may be some flaws in Sabonis’ game that has contributed to their team-wide struggles as of late, the 28-year-old has done more good than bad for the team and they will need him to be at his best if they were to snap out of this funk — ankle injury and all.
Sunday night was simply one to forget for the Kings. The entire team played poorly, including Sabonis, who shot an uncharacteristically inefficient 8-22 from the field. And while some rest would do Sabonis a world of good in preparation for the latter half of the season, the Kings cannot afford to fall any further, as they might have to make some tough decisions on the trade market if they do.
Kings to become sellers on the trade market?
The Kings managed to turn things around during the 2022-23 season, snapping a 17-year playoff drought and renewing the hopes of a fanbase that has long come to terms with the franchise’s inadequacy. But the Kings franchise has been experiencing a gradual decline over the past one and a half seasons, and it’s not looking like it’s about to end anytime soon.
This current Kings roster is lacking depth, and the addition of DeMar DeRozan hasn’t borne as much fruit as initially anticipated. And with De’Aaron Fox set to become a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season, he could very well be on his way out of Sacramento if things continue to go downhill, and it could be good for the Kings to get ahead of things by trying to get as much as they can for him on the trade market.
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