Domantas Sabonis continues his superstar run, "Unless I can't walk, I'm going to play"

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You could see it from the opening tip. Despite a week away, Domantas Sabonis wasn’t the same player who dominated the pre All-Star break schedule. 

An undisclosed illness placed the Sacramento Kings’ star center on the injury report. He entered Thursday’s battle against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs as doubtful. Even when he jogged to the locker room at 6:15, he couldn’t confirm whether he would see the court.

“We’ll see, it’s not up to me,” Sabonis told the Kings Beat.

It’s not a mystery now. Sabonis not only played, he crushed the competition, like he has so many times this season. His 22-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist performance in the Kings’ 127-122 win over the Spurs has somehow become commonplace. He even had enough juice in the tank to blow by Wembanyama on the break during the third quarter.

Sabonis admitted during practice on Saturday that the Spurs game was the first time he had touched a ball in a week. Whatever the illness, it had knocked him down, but luckily for the Kings, not out.

“It was definitely tough, but like I always say, unless I can’t walk, I’m not not going to play,” Sabonis said. 

We’re out of superlatives to describe Sabonis. He was left out of the NBA’s All-Star festivities, but that is an indictment on an antiquated system lacking accountability. Coaches around the league should be embarrassed for the omission. 

In a league that embraces statistical greatness, Sabonis is exactly that. Through 55 games, he is now averaging 20.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 35.7 minutes per game. He’s shooting 62.4 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from three.

The 27-year-old All-NBA center leads the league in rebounding. He also leads the league with 51 double-doubles in 55 games, including a stunning 38 consecutive streak. Lastly, he leads the league in triple-doubles with 19, including seven in his last ten games. 

“You don’t want to become numb to what he’s doing,” De’Aaron Fox said. “That’s not normal.”

Not only is Sabonis posting tremendous numbers, but he shows up every game. Last season, he played in 79 of the team’s 82 games, despite an avulsion fracture in his right thumb that happened in December. He’s played in all 55 games this season and his consistency is off the charts. 

“The fact that he’s available every night is big for us, because he plays so hard and he plays so physical,” Fox added.

To Fox’s point, Sabonis is one of the most physical players in the league. Wembanyama likely had to ice his chest after facing the three-time All-Star because Sabonis routinely powered through him on his way to the basket. 

There will be a time when Wembanyama will get pay back on Sabonis. His talent is undeniable and his future is as bright as any player we’ve seen enter the association since LeBron James. But at 7-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he gave up at least 30 pounds to the Kings’ star and that was a tremendous factor in the outcome of the game. 

“He’s our anchor,” Malik Monk said. “He’s our anchor and we follow him, we follow his lead and whatever he do, we follow right behind him.”

Sabonis has recovered from whatever ailed him earlier in the week. He was at practice on Saturday and is set to be in uniform when the Kings face the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. 

There is an honesty to Sabonis when he speaks to the media. In a league with plenty of stat chasers, he is a player who accumulates numbers while playing the game the right way. From his incredible rebounding numbers, to setting up teammates at an elite clip, he is about as functional a star as you’ll find.

“I haven’t even thought about it to be honest,” Sabonis said. “The main thing is, the next game and getting wins. Nobody is happy with our seeding and our standing. I feel like we’re playing good basketball, but we could definitely have won a lot more games. So that’s our focus as a group.”

It’s not lip service. He doesn’t glance up at the scoreboard to see if he’s closing in on a triple-double. He isn’t chasing history and if he is, it is almost by accident. Anyone who calls him “empty calories” either doesn’t know basketball, doesn’t watch the Kings play or is being intellectually dishonest. 

Sabonis is searching for wins and the Kings’ current place in the standings isn’t comfortable for anyone in Sacramento. At 32-23, Sacramento is in a virtual tie with the Phoenix Suns for seventh place in the Western Conference. The Kings sit a half game behind the Dallas Mavericks for sixth place and the New Orleans Pelicans by a game for fifth. 

It’s early to scoreboard watch, but with a group of teams bunched together and only the sixth seed or higher guaranteed a playoff berth, a daily check in has become necessary. The Kings play three of the next four away from Golden 1 Center, but they have 12 home games in the month of March, which could decide their fate this season.

“We’ve got to go in and take care of business on the road,” Sabonis said. “Obviously the goal is to win every game, but the more we can take care of, the better. And then that home stretch, we’ve got to come and really pile some together and really play some good basketball.”

Sacramento hasn’t looked like the same team that made a post All-Star game run last season and pushed the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, but they still have time to find their identity.

Sabonis has kept the team in the chase with his superstar level play, but he’ll need help in the final 27 games if the Kings are going to make noise in the postseason. 

There is no margin for error. That went away with losses to teams like Houston, Portland, Charlotte and Detroit. But with Sabonis playing the best basketball of his career and making his case for a second straight All-NBA honor, the Kings have a shot.