Latest news with #Sabonis'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sacramento Kings 2024-2025 fantasy basketball season recap: Sabonis shines despite changes
While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams. In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June. Advertisement Two years removed from ending their playoff drought, Sacramento moved on from the head coach and star point guard that led them there. With a new general manager and coach, the Kings will look for a fresh start. Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Season Recap Record: 40-42 (9th, West, lost in play-in) Offensive Rating: 115.9 (7th) Defensive Rating: 115.3 (22nd) Net Rating: 0.6 (15th) Pace: 98.91 (19th) 2024 Draft Picks: 3.8% chance at a top-four pick, 42 For the second straight season, Sacramento's season ended in the play-in tournament. However, the team that suited up looked a little different. Head coach Mike Brown, who helped the Kings end their playoff drought, was fired in December after a 13-18 start. He was replaced by Doug Christie, who was given a long-term contract by new general manager Scott Perry, who replaced Monte McNair. Of course, before firing McNair after the season, they allowed him to trade De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs. Advertisement With the coach, GM and franchise player that ended Sacramento's playoff drought all gone, a new regime still has plenty of pieces to work with. They have a 3.8 percent chance of leaping into the top-four of the draft lottery and retaining their top-12 protected first-round pick. They acquired Zach LaVine in the deal that sent Fox to San Antonio, which gave them a team that was talented enough to make the play-in tournament, where they lost to Dallas in the 9-10 matchup. The expectations were certainly much higher after they signed DeMar DeRozan over the summer, but things just didn't work out that way. Fantasy Standout: Domantas Sabonis Once again, Sabonis was the best fantasy option in Sacramento. He averaged 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 34.7 minutes per game across his 70 appearances. He provided second-round value in nine-cat leagues, which he has only done twice in his career. His assists dipped, but the rebounds were a new career high for one of the best rebounders in the league, and he led the league in boards for a third straight season. There aren't too many players that can match Sabonis' combination of points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage, and the ones that do are also among the elite players in fantasy basketball. At 29 years old, Sabonis' game should age well, so he still has many years of fantasy dominance ahead of him. Sacramento will need to make this team a contender to keep Sabonis happy, but regardless of what happens with the team, Sabonis will continue to be a dominant force in the fantasy landscape for years to come. Advertisement Fantasy Revelation: Malik Monk Monk had arguably the best season of his career, though his production was inconsistent. He had stretches of elite numbers, but he also really struggled at times. Across his 65 appearances, Monk averaged 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.1 three-pointers per game. The points, rebounds and assists were all the best marks of his career, which led to the first top-100 finish of his career. Monk had a few stretches where he was one of the most productive players in the league, but he also struggled after Sacramento traded away De'Aaron Fox, which was surprising. He averaged 15.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and five assists with Zach LaVine in the lineup, and he shot just 41.9 percent from the floor during those games. Monk showcased brilliant production in the middle of the season, which provided optimism to what he could be moving forward. Though we were expecting his numbers to improve even more with the ball in his hands more after Fox's departure, he was still producing at a higher level than he ever had previously. Hopefully a healthy offseason will be what he needs to put together a full season of high-level numbers. Fantasy Disappointment: Jonas Valanciunas Advertisement It's difficult to be disappointed when you don't really have any expectations, but Valanciunas best fits the bill for the Kings. He started off the season with Washington, where he signed over the summer. He was dealt to Sacramento at the deadline and made 32 appearances for them, including nine starts. He averaged 8.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in just 16.9 minutes per game. Valanciunas had a Yahoo ADP of 89.4, but the only time he produced to that level was when Domantas Sabonis was sidelined for a few games in March. I wasn't optimistic about Valanciunas this season, but he was supposed to be the starting center in Washington, with rookie Alexandre Sarr playing power forward. Valanciunas was a part-time starter with the Wizards and played a minimal role for the Kings. He's past his days of being a significant contributor in fantasy basketball, aside from being a decent source of rebounds when he gets the chance to start. Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads DeMar DeRozan DeRozan signed with Sacramento last summer and played in 77 games in his first season with the Kings. He averaged 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 triples in 35.9 minutes per game. DeRozan will be 36 years old at the start of next season, so there are certainly questions about how much longer he will keep playing. However, he had another strong season, even if his production dipped slightly, and he scored 33 points in their play-in loss to Dallas. Advertisement DeRozan still has two seasons left on his contract with Sacramento, and he should at least play that out before making any career decisions. He has played at least 36 minutes per game and made at least 74 appearances in each of his last four seasons. Hopefully that trend will continue next season. Zach LaVine LaVine's time with the Bulls finally came to an end ahead of February's trade deadline. He made 32 appearances for Sacramento and averaged 22.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.2 threes per game. He was the main piece that the Kings got back when they moved De'Aaron Fox, and while it took him a few games to get comfortable with his new team, LaVine had some excellent performances for Sacramento. On the wrong side of 30, LaVine is still an elite athlete, but he continues to get better as a scorer, which should help him stay effective as he continues to age. The fit in Sacramento is clunky without a true point guard, but they have multiple players that are effective playmakers. LaVine is one of them, and he should have the ball in his hands a ton next season. Advertisement Keegan Murray Year three was a disappointing one for Murray, who saw his role on offense decrease. He averaged 12.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and two triples in 34.3 minutes per game across his 76 appearances. Murray played well as a rookie and made improvements in year two, but the addition of DeMar DeRozan resulted in fewer opportunities for Murray to grow. He'll be 25 at the start of next season, so there is still time for him to improve, but even if he doesn't take drastic strides, he'll still be a solid NBA player for a very long time. Unfortunately, with the way the roster is currently constructed, Murray may end up as a low-priority option once again. We'll see what changes are made this summer, but the odds of Murray having a bounce back season are low. Keon Ellis Ellis didn't see his role increase as much as we hoped, but he still saw his minutes and production take a step forward this season. He averaged 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 threes in 24.4 minutes per game. He ended the 2023-24 season playing incredibly well as a starter, but he didn't keep the job entering this season. He saw a few starts throughout the year, but he didn't become a full-time starter again until the final few weeks of the season. He averaged 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.9 blocks and two triples per game across his 28 starts. Advertisement Assuming he continues to start next season, Ellis has the upside to be an excellent late-round pick. The defensive production is incredible, and he's able to space the floor without needing the ball in his hands a lot, which will allow him to fit well next to LaVine, DeRozan and Sabonis. Coach Doug Christie seems to really like Ellis, so it will depend on what moves the team makes this summer. Jake LaRavia LaRavia was dealt to the Kings at the deadline and suited up 19 times for them, averaging 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 triples in 19.3 minutes per game. Now, he's set to enter unrestricted free agency. The former Grizzly saw his role decrease with the Kings, even though he had less competition for minutes; the starters in Sacramento played more minutes than the starters in Memphis. If LaRavia returns, he'll be a young depth piece for them, but he likely won't play enough to contribute in fantasy basketball. The best path to fantasy relevance for him will be with a new team. Trey Lyles Once again, Lyles was a solid depth piece for the Kings. He averaged 6.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 threes in 19.6 minutes per game. He has spent the last four seasons with Sacramento but could opt for a new home this summer. If he returns, he'll continue to play a significant reserve role for them, though with Sabonis in front of him, that doesn't lead to much production. Regardless of where Lyles ends up, he'll only be relevant as a streaming option when the starter in front of him is injured. Advertisement Devin Carter The rookie's debut was delayed by offseason shoulder surgery, and he didn't suit up until January. He played 36 games, but he was never able to establish a rhythm. He averaged just 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11 minutes per game. Carter was excellent during his junior season at Providence, which led to him being drafted in the lottery. He also dominated during his five G League appearances, where he averaged 26.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.2 blocks and 3.8 threes per game. He should play a larger role in year two after a healthy offseason. Restricted Free Agents: Markelle Fultz, Isaiah Crawford, Mason Jones Unrestricted Free Agents: Trey Lyles, Jake LaRavia, Doug McDermott, Jae Crowder Team Option: Keon Ellis, Isaac Jones
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kings' Domantas Sabonis suffers right ankle injury in win against Grizzlies
All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis left the Sacramento Kings' Monday night victory over the Memphis Grizzlies early after suffering a right ankle injury in the third quarter. Sabonis had already left the court to head to the locker room once earlier in the proceedings, after a first-quarter collision with Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard left him with a cut above his left eye. He'd return after getting it stitched up, scoring six points with four rebounds in 11 first-half minutes to help stake Sacramento to a double-digit lead at intermission. In the opening minute of the third quarter, though, as Sabonis rolled to the rim after screening for teammate Zach LaVine, he stepped on the foot of Grizzlies defender Jaylen Wells, rolling his right ankle hard and instantly grasping for it as he crashed to the court in a heap: The 28-year-old big man immediately signaled to the Kings' bench that he needed to come out of the game, and needed the help of teammates and coaches to get to his feet and hobble back to the Sacramento locker room. Shortly thereafter, the team ruled him out for the remainder of the game. The Kings would rally without their starting center, riding red-hot shooting from beyond the 3-point arc and the playmaking of LaVine, Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan to build a lead that ballooned to 20 points in the fourth quarter and hold off the visiting Grizz for a 132-122 win. Sacramento improved to 34-33, remaining in ninth place in the Western Conference. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Interim Kings coach Doug Christie, who looked shaken on the sideline in the moments after Sabonis' injury, told reporters after the game that he had no update on his star center's status. His teammates sounded an optimistic note about a player who, in LaVine's words, 'gets bumped and bruised because he plays so damn hard.' 'I'm always concerned when my teammate's not on the court,' Monk told reporters. 'I really didn't see the play until I looked up. It looked pretty bad. But Domas [is] strong. He'll probably be back sooner than we think.' The Kings will certainly hope so. They enter Tuesday 3.5 games back of the eighth-place Clippers, two games ahead of 10th-place Dallas and three games up on 11th-place Phoenix; an extended absence for Sabonis could deal a serious blow to their chances of remaining in play-in position. (It could also harm the chances of Sabonis — an All-NBA Third Team selection in each of the last two seasons — reaching the 65-game threshold for inclusion in year-end awards voting.) Sabonis is averaging 19.2 points, an NBA-leading 13.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 34.8 minutes per game, shooting 63% on 2-pointers and 42.5% from 3-point land. The only other player hitting those marks this season? MVP candidate Nikola Jokić — a similarly bruising point-center offensive hub to whom Sabonis' game is frequently compared. While Sabonis' absence isn't quite as detrimental to Sacramento as Jokić's would be to the Nuggets — although, y'know, try telling the Warriors that — it's still considerable. For the season, the Kings have outscored opponents by 4.2 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions with Sabonis on the court, according to Cleaning the Glass, and have been outscored by 5.7 points-per-100 with him off of it. That net-rating gap has narrowed somewhat since the Kings' roster-remaking trade deadline, which saw the franchise ship out Sabonis' running buddy De'Aaron Fox, shooting guard Kevin Huerter and lightly used reserves Jordan McLaughlin, Alex Len and Colby Jones and bring in not only LaVine, but also veteran center Jonas Valančiūnas and combo forward Jake LaRavia (who played on Monday like he had a bone to pick with the Grizzlies team that jettisoned him). Valančiūnas, a stalwart per-minute producer dating back to his days in Toronto, has put up 9.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in just 19.5 minutes per game in Sacramento; the Kings are plus-27 in 321 minutes with Valančiūnas on the floor and Sabonis off of it, according to PBP Stats. But even with Valančiūnas and the versatile Trey Lyles to plug the gap, the Kings are 31-27 with Sabonis in the lineup and just 3-6 in the nine games they've played without him; that includes four losses in six contests that he missed earlier this month with a left hamstring injury. Even if they're able to hold down the fort and hold off the likes of the Mavericks and Suns in the play-in chase, the Kings know their best chance of making any noise come mid-April comes with their hard-charging center upright and fully operational. 'Domas wants to be out there as much as anybody,' LaVine told reporters. 'We need to make sure he doesn't rush back and takes care of himself, because we're going to need him in the long run.'
