Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis is one of the best offensive big men in the league. While he lacks the accolades to prove it, his head coach, Mike Brown, knows what he’s capable of. In an interview with ESPN, Brown praised the All-Star player and compared him to three-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic.
On Thursday, Sabonis was interviewed by the publication where they touched on the subject of his legacy. The Kings big man is the son of Arvydas Sabonis, one of the most promising international talents during the 1980s and 1990s.
Brown had the chance to talk about his thoughts on Sabonis and what he’s done at the 2024-25 NBA season. According to the league, the Lithuanian center ranks third among centers in touches per game, behind Jokic and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
This was mostly caused by the addition of DeMar DeRozan, who demands to have the ball on the offensive end to be effective. Even with DeRozan in the picture, Sabonis is averaging 6.2 assists. Brown went on to praise the big man for his intelligence in sharing the rock and getting his teammates involved. He went as far to say that Sabonis is a better playmaker than Jokic, who’s averaging 10.2 assists.
“I’m not saying Domas is better than Jokic or anything like that,” Brown told ESPN, adding, “but, to me, that’s why Domas is a better playmaker than Jokic.”
But Brown still credited the Nuggets star for how he plays.
“Look, Jokic is incredible. He can do everything. He’s not too quick, but he’s very smart.”
NEW: On lineage and legacy, fathers and sons and what it means to be a Sabonis. "He is a warrior," Arvydas tells ESPN of Domantas. "Like me." https://t.co/j1kA4dslcn
— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) December 12, 2024
Domas is in his fourth season with the Kings and has been going strong. His tandem with De’Aaron Fox has helped the organization to snap their 16-year playoff drought.
Domantas Sabonis feels a massive difference in how his father played
Domantas Sabonis has played a specific brand of basketball that’s often not seen in big men. Sabonis is using his height to facilitate for his team and be more than a scoring threat in the offensive end. The Kings star plays the way his father plays, getting his teammates involved. However, the three-time All-Star feels there is a massive difference in how they play.
“I still have time, but I don’t know,” Sabonis said. “”I feel like there’s a big difference there.”
However, his father has a lot of faith in him and believes he can have a better career than him.
“I feel uncomfortable to hear this,” the older Sabonis said. “”He has his way. He’s playing his way. He’s Domantas Sabonis. He’s lefty and a different story. We see what happens when it’s final, when he’s finished this job. It’s not over.”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
