Domantas Sabonis is back, healthy, and looking at the new season with a fresh start.
The Sacramento Kings center said he was cleared in August after knee surgery and has spent the past two months getting back into his normal routine and rebuilding his conditioning. It was the first extended injury absence of his career, and for Sabonis, sitting out carried a different kind of frustration.
“Yeah, full go. I got cleared in August,” Sabonis said. “It’s been a good two months of just working out normally, getting back in shape, and yeah, just super excited, you know, super appreciative that I’m healthy and I’m here today.”
For a player who has built his reputation on toughness and availability, the missed time hit hard.
“As a competitor, I believe if I was there, I could have changed things, made them a little bit better,” Sabonis said. “So that was definitely very, very hard for me personally.”
Now he’s turning the page, and his return comes with a different kind of responsibility. With veterans like DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook no longer on the roster, Sabonis and Zach LaVine suddenly stand as two of the oldest voices in the room.
“Me and Zach are the oldest guys right here, which is pretty crazy,” Sabonis said.
That leadership role could matter even more as Sacramento works in seventh overall pick Darius Acuff Jr. Sabonis said he has already spent time with the rookie guard and likes what he’s seen so far, especially in the pick-and-roll.
“Very excited, very talented point guard,” Sabonis said. “We haven’t even really got many reps in, so I’m just excited for the future.”
Sabonis comes into the season with plenty of production behind him: he’s a three-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection, and he led the NBA in rebounds per game from 2022-25, doing it for three straight seasons.
He also sees a chance for Sacramento’s offense to lean back into the style that made the Beam Team years such a hit.
“I hope so,” Sabonis said when asked whether his role could evolve under head coach Doug Christie. “Those first Beam Team years, that was a lot of fun for me.
It was good for the team. The city loved it.”
With Sabonis healthy again, Acuff joining the backcourt and Ben Simmons offering another smart playmaking option, the Kings have new pieces to sort through. Sabonis, though, sounds ready for the challenge.
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