Domantas Sabonis says he’s ‘100%’ amid low Kings usage

Domantas Sabonis says he’s 100% healthy despite a significantly reduced offensive role during the Kings’ 1-10 start.

Nov 12, 2026, 2:40 PM Updated: 2:48 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball ...

Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball against the San Antonio Spurs at Golden 1 Center on November 06, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The 1-10 start has weighed heavily on the Sacramento Kings’ players. Star rookie point guard Darius Acuff even said, “I’m not a loser,” after Wednesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic.

After Thursday’s practice, former All-Star center Domantas Sabonis was asked about Acuff’s reaction and how this season has weighed on himself personally.

“It sucks,” Sabonis said the day after their loss. “None of us want to be here in terms of losing, 1-10. Seeing this team lose sucks. It hurts me.”

“You want to bring it back and play good basketball, and I feel like we are. We just got to put 48 minutes together… the guys are all working hard, putting in late-night shots and trying to get better.”

The Orlando Magic came into Golden 1 Center on Wednesday with only two wins, but defeated the Kings 107-100. Sabonis had one of the worst showings of his career, contributing five assists, two rebounds, and zero points on 0/2 shooting. His first field goal attempt didn’t come until the fourth quarter.

Head coach Doug Christie also elected to close the game with second-year center Dylan Cardwell. Considering Sabonis missed the game prior with left knee soreness, the same knee he had season-ending surgery on last season, there were concerns that he was limited due to injuries.

But Sabonis shut down that idea. “I feel great,” he said at practice. “I’m 100%. I feel amazing.”

When asked about his lack of shot attempts last game, he highlighted how Orlando’s defense took away his usual looks.

“I just got to go out there and be aggressive,” Sabonis said. “The game was played a certain way in terms of the Magic playing defensively, taking away the roll for me. That’s where I’m effective. So, I felt like I could help the team out in other ways. Getting [Acuff] open on screens, assisting, rebounding, and all that stuff.”

Asked Domantas Sabonis about his low FGAs and having zero going into the fourth last game:

“I just got to go out there and be aggressive. The game was played a certain way in terms of Magic playing defensively, taking away the roll for me. That’s where I’m effective. So I felt like I could help the team out in other ways, getting [Acuff] open on screens, assisting, rebounding, and all that stuff.”

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) November 12, 2026

Through 10 games, Sabonis is averaging 8.3 field-goal attempts per game, the lowest since his rookie season, when he played just 20.1 minutes per night. He has had three games with five or fewer shots.

While he’s never been a high-volume player, a majority of his offensive value comes from his ability to be an offensive hub with dribble-handoffs, impressive passing as a big, and elite screen setting. But even that has been limited this year, as shown by his 16.2% usage rate, the lowest since he was a rookie.

Adding Darius Acuff alongside Zach LaVine, two players who function best off the dribble, seems to have limited Sabonis’ touches. Malik Monk is the best player at running a two-man game with Sabonis, but he averaged just over 15 minutes per game this season and logged less than three in the loss to Orlando.

Sabonis denied the idea that his health isn’t responsible for the reduced role. Whether his diminished usage is simply a product of Sacramento’s new personnel, a shift to the future, or coaching is something to monitor as they try to climb out of their 1-10 start.