Domantas Sabonis Takes Subtle Jab at Darius Acuff Jr. After Kings Loss

Are the Sacramento Kings running the offense through the wrong player? After their season-opening loss to the L.A. Clippers, three-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis believes they need to change things up.

In their first game of the season and his NBA debut, Darius Acuff Jr. was the Kings’ main focal point offensively, as the seventh-overall pick took 24 shots and had the highest usage rate on the team. Of course, the Kings want their new franchise point guard to have the ball in his hands and make plays, but Sabonis threw a bit of shade at him by saying they need to change who is running the offense.

“Move the ball. Get me the ball more so I can swing it and get guys open,” Sabonis said about what the Kings need to do to help their offense. “We took a lot of one-pass shots, pick-and-roll shots without passing the ball; those numbers are really high. I feel like we’re best when we kind of mix it up—point guard shoots, point guard hits the corner, point guard hits me, then I can make the read. That’s where I’m best at.

It is not out of the ordinary for a proven star to demand the ball more after a crushing loss, but doing so by jabbing at your new point guard who just made his NBA debut is a bit strange.

What to make of Sabonis’ comment

Frankly, Sabonis is not wrong. He is one of the best playmaking big men in the NBA, and the Kings’ offense is better when he touches the ball. In Wednesday’s loss, he finished with 14 points on 5-5 shooting with 18 rebounds and 8 assists. After playing just 19 games last season, he is clearly back at full strength, and the Kings need to make the most of that.

Sabonis is an offensive hub who thrives when he gets touches, and questions about whether his playstyle is capable of competing for a championship can be saved for another day because, as we know, the Kings are not trying to compete for a title. But if they want to win more games, he should be more involved.

He said this in response to how the Kings can get more three-point looks, and he is spot on. Having Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, and Keegan Murray stretch the floor while Sabonis sets them up could actually result in great offense.

On the contrary, Acuff Jr. made a lot of great plays on Wednesday night. While his shots were not falling, shooting just 5-24 from the field and 0-7 from deep, he was finding his spots and getting good looks. The Kings need to find a balance between Acuff Jr. making a play for himself and Sabonis setting up his teammates, but hopefully that comes with more reps together.

Remember, they played just two preseason games together, and this was Acuff Jr.’s NBA debut. It will take more time for the Kings to create a comfortable offense. But Sabonis likely could’ve said this better, rather than taking a slight jab at his rookie guard by throwing him under the bus a bit.

Follow us on Facebook and X for the latest Sacramento Kings news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow