It hasn’t been a good start to the season for the Sacramento Kings, and now they’re going to have to figure out life without Domantas Sabonis for a while.
The All-Star center has suffered a partially torn meniscus in his left knee and will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
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The Kings entered Thursday with a 3-12 record, the second-worst record in the Western Conference, and were coming off a 113-99 drubbing by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Sabonis sat out that game with what had only been described as a knee issue.
The injury doesn’t help Sabonis’ trade value, an area where there has been plenty of speculation due to Sacramento’s slow start.
This is already the third injury that has forced Sabonis to miss time this season. He was absent for the team’s season opener due to a hamstring strain sustained in preseason and missed two games earlier this month with a rib injury.
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Sabonis’ form hasn’t been the Kings’ main issue, but his 17.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 0.2 blocks per game all represent his worst numbers in his Kings career, as does his 51% field-goal percentage. Around him, the roster is built on talented but aging ball-handlers DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder.
The end result has been a team that ranks 25th or worst in the NBA in offensive rating, defensive rating and rebounding percentage, a trio also known as “everything a team does on a basketball court.” Without Sabonis, a turnaround just became a bit more difficult.
