Domantas Sabonis has now missed seven straight games, and the Sacramento Kings are feeling every bit of that absence-especially in the paint. Sunday night’s 115-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center made it crystal clear: without their All-Star big man, the Kings are struggling to hold the interior together.
With Sabonis sidelined due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, Memphis took full advantage-and Zach Edey led the charge. The Grizzlies' towering center put on a clinic, scoring 32 points and pulling down 17 rebounds.
He was dominant from the jump, and by halftime, he already had his third double-double of the season. Edey finished 16-of-20 from the floor, and his six points in the final four minutes sealed the win for Memphis, who have now won four straight.
The Kings simply couldn’t contain him. Memphis racked up 62 points in the paint, and it wasn’t just about Edey’s size-it was about Sacramento’s lack of resistance inside. With Sabonis out, the Kings are missing more than just scoring and rebounding-they’re missing the anchor of their interior defense and the heart of their offensive flow.
Drew Eubanks has filled in as the starter, and to his credit, he’s been solid. He’s brought energy, effort, and a willingness to battle.
But he doesn’t have Sabonis’ instincts, especially when it comes to reading the game and making quick decisions in the high post. That’s why head coach Doug Christie is starting to look deeper down the bench.
Enter rookie Maxime Raynaud.
The 7-foot-1 center saw 23 minutes of action off the bench and finished with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting, along with six rebounds and three assists. He also fouled out, which speaks to both his aggressiveness and the learning curve he’s facing. But Christie liked what he saw-and not just in the box score.
“Max has done a great job,” Christie said postgame. “He comes in, he's highly attentive to the game plan, trying to execute the game plan at a high level, understanding. He communicates really well.”
Raynaud was thrown into the fire, tasked with guarding Edey, who looked like a machine out there. It wasn’t an easy assignment by any stretch, but for a rookie, it was a valuable experience. He battled, showed flashes, and gave Christie a glimpse of what he might become with more reps.
“He's a young player, so when it comes to leverage and physicality and some different things that he is learning right before our very eyes … that can be tough,” Christie said. “Especially with a big guy like Zach Edey and Jared Jackson Jr.
These guys are huge, but he's beginning to hold his own, and you can see that the game is slowing down for him. As it slows down and he continues to improve, his minutes are going to go up.”
That’s the key for Raynaud-getting the game to slow down. The raw tools are there: size, touch, passing instincts. What he needs now is experience, and with Sabonis still out, that opportunity may come sooner rather than later.
The Kings did show some fight. After trailing by 13 in the third, they rallied to take an 87-83 lead into the fourth. But Memphis punched back with a 14-2 run to open the final quarter, and Edey closed the door down the stretch.
Offensively, Sacramento got solid production from their wings. DeMar DeRozan dropped 23 points, Malik Monk added 21, and Zach LaVine-coming off a 34-point night against Utah-contributed 19. But without Sabonis orchestrating from the elbow, the offense lacked its usual rhythm and flow.
Next up, the Kings head on the road to take on Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. With Sabonis still sidelined, Sacramento will need to find answers in the paint-and fast.
Whether that means more minutes for Raynaud or a shift in scheme, the Kings can’t afford to keep getting bullied inside. Not in the West.
Not with the schedule tightening.