Domantas Sabonis has wasted no time making the opening of this season feel like his own personal rebounding clinic.
Through Sacramento’s first three games, the Kings center has grabbed 52 boards, a post-merger NBA record for most rebounds through a player’s first three games of the season. That pushes him past Hall of Fame big man Moses Malone, who had 49 in 1982-1983.
Sabonis added 15 rebounds against Memphis on Sunday night, helping keep Sacramento in another close game even though the Kings are still searching for their first win. The bigger picture has been impossible to miss: Sabonis is sitting alone atop the league’s rebounding race, and nobody else has reached 37 rebounds yet.
He’s not just piling up misses, either. Sabonis is averaging 17.3 rebounds per game, a massive lead over Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, who is next at 12.3. He’s also shooting better than 80% from the field, with his efficiency making the early-season numbers even louder.
Sacramento has gotten strong production from Zach LaVine as well. LaVine scored 37 points in Sunday’s narrow loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and he currently ranks fourth in the NBA with 28 points per game. The Kings are still winless, but LaVine and Sabonis have looked like the All-Star-level players they were before injuries wiped out most of last season.
Sabonis has also been running plenty of the offense. He’s averaging seven assists per game and recorded a triple-double in Game 2, continuing to function as a hub for Sacramento’s attack.
After the Kings’ opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Sabonis explained how he wants the offense to flow.
"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," Sabonis said.
He also pointed to a lack of movement in that first game, saying the team "took a lot of one-pass shots."
That approach has looked cleaner since then. Rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. has grown more comfortable working in two-man actions with Sabonis, and Sacramento has started turning more of those possessions into 3-point attempts.
Acuff’s development as a playmaker should only make Sabonis more dangerous, especially with the way the big man is finishing. Sabonis is converting 80.8% of his shots, is 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and has made more than 86% of his free throws.
That outside touch matters, too. Sabonis entered the season coming off a rough shooting stretch in Sacramento, where he hit a career-low 18.5% from long distance in limited appearances. If that confidence from deep holds, it gives the Kings another layer in the half court and opens more space for drivers around him.
In Other News...
Keegan Murray Is Caught In A Kings Problem That Keeps Growing
Keegan Murrays early-season fit has been complicated by more than just the usual opening-night rust. Between a preseason spent on limited minutes and the lingering effects of returning from injury, Murray has had to find his rhythm while the Kings keep adjusting the pieces around him. The result has been a start that has not looked as clean or settled as Sacramento would like from one of its key young forwards.
The bigger issue is the one the Kings seem to keep running into: a rotation that has not stayed still long enough for anyone to really settle into a role. Murrays spot has felt especially fluid amid those changes, and the uncertainty has shown up in his on-court consistency. For a team trying to build continuity, his situation has become another reminder that Sacramento still has some sorting out to do. [Read more 🡒]
Zach LaVine Just Exposed An Early Kings Problem
After an 0-3 start, the early frustration around Sacramento has already gone beyond missed shots and defensive miscues. Zach LaVines comments pointed to a bigger issue inside the locker room: a team still trying to settle in, with the acclimation process not yet giving the Kings a clear sense of direction from the front office, the coaching staff or the veterans expected to steady things.
The larger concern is whether the pieces Sacramento has invested in are actually being used in a way that matches the plan. There has been a noticeable disconnect between draft capital and in-game decisions, including limited run for recent first-round picks, and LaVines point about veteran leadership only sharpened the conversation. In his view, teams need a voice and a structure to lean on, and right now the Kings are still searching for both. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Are Already Facing A Worrying Early Season Pattern
The early-season concerns for Sacramento are starting to pile up in a hurry. In a 123-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Kings dropped their third straight game, and this one followed a familiar script: Zach LaVine carried the offense with 37 points, but the rest of the night was defined by missed chances and the kind of slippage that can erase a strong scoring performance.
Memphis kept punishing Sacramento on the glass and off turnovers, turning those mistakes into 30 second-chance points. The bigger-picture concern is how little room there seems to be for experimentation this early, with rookie Nique Clifford not playing at all and the rotation already looking tight, which makes the Kings search for answers feel even more urgent. [Read more 🡒]