Today the Kings lost to the Suns, but Sabonis Jr. still had 24 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists.
In this season's total rebounds, he is also the first in the league. Ninth in the league in total assists - Morant in front, Dreams in the back.
It's worth mentioning: Today is Domantas Sabonis' 470th NBA game, and he is going to play his third All-Star game this year.
His father, Arvidas Roof of the World Sabonis, played a total of 470 NBA games.
A few years ago, I joked with my friends that Jokic was more like the son of Sabonis Sabonis Sr. Salian Jr. has averaged more than 18 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists per game for the fourth consecutive season, including this season, but he relatively likes the face basket, not like his father, playing the back flower pass that Jokic/Divac/Brad Miller loves.
But now it seems that Xiaosa's playing style is actually the version of the answer under the existing rules.
Sabonis Sr. recorded a season-high 3 assists in an NBA career. Divac's career-high single-season 5.4 assists and Webb's 5.4 — the two Princeton Twin Towers are examples of NBA history.
There are already eight of the NBA seniors who have averaged 5 assists per game this season:
This era is very suitable for the elderly.
Not to mention the dream chasing that we have long been familiar with. Offensive powerhouses this season: The Celtics played high this season, the Jazz had Markkanen and Olynyk, and the Blazers had Nukic, who averaged 4.6 cover assists and 2.9 assists per game.
The high position of the elder is the tide of the times.
Jokic averaged 10 assists and 3.9 cover assists per game, with the Nuggets leading the offensive order.
Sabonis Jr. averaged 6.9 assists and 5.6 cover assists per game, and the Kings were second in the offensive league.
Sa may not be better than his dad's prime, but he does have a more successful NBA career.
Coach Mike Brown's style of play this season is clear:
The Kings dominated Sabonis in the first three quarters, and Fox took over in the fourth quarter - the league's third-quarter total points this season, behind Irving and Giannis.
For example, Jokic is the axis of the Nuggets, and Murray is the key killer; The King's killer is Fox and the shaft is Sa.
It was written at this time last year:
The King sent Haliburton (on contract with Hield) back to Sabonis, 25, and Fox, 24. This pair of duos turns into a combination, that is, combat power.
It wasn't the King who chose Fox from Harry and Fox — after all, you used Fox to take Hield's contract and trade the Pacers for Sabonis, people aren't necessarily happy — it's more like choosing the latter from "Harry who grows up in the future" and "Sabonis now and sent Hield's contract".
After all, Sa Jr. is the best inside line since King Brother lost Cousins? Next, the king only had to think about the interior defense.
Now, a year later, King West is third. Sa and Fox had a good time.
The scary thing about Xiao Sa is that he not only plays two-person spin with Fox, but his strategy radiates the entire king.
Barnes and Murray, as well as McDermott when he was with the Pacers, are suitable for this routine: as long as you are smart, agile, have a basket, and know how to cut empty, Sam can satisfy you: high handover, high blocking, empty back door cut, weak side cut, Sam moves, the whole team moves.
Of his seven assists per game, two went straight to the basket.
This season, when Sam was around, the King scored 122 points per 100 rounds; He is not there, 112 points. To put it another way: he is in the first place in the Kings offensive league; He was not there, and the king fell to the level of the pistons.
The true playmaker of the league's second offensive team - a 216 cm elder.
Statistically, Sam is the NBA's total rebounding king this season. But his coach in Malaga recited that when this kid was a teenager, he was talked about by many European scouts: he didn't have explosive power, he ran and jumped, he didn't shoot the basket from a distance. In summary:
"His father is a genius who has seen once in a century, how can he..."
But then, the coaches in Malaga discovered that the kid had a great talent: he was good at decision-making and "very good for being a commander." ”
Although he is 216 centimeters tall - not as tall as his father, of course - he is a commander at heart:
And often without taking the ball.
His Gonzaga college teammates all mentioned a detail: everyone knew his dad's name, and people who didn't know him would turn their heads when they saw the last name on his jersey. But he never talked about his father. Only in many details – positive positioning, never lowering the ball, finding teammates as soon as he gets the ball, the habit of observing at any time, the incredible quality of cover – makes it feel that he has excellent interior player skills. As for how did this basic skill come about? Well......
In the spring of 1996, 31-year-old Arvidas Sabonis , who was playing his first NBA season , gave birth to his third son, Domantas Sabonis.
A few years later, in an interview, Lao Sa said that of his sons, the third son was the most likely to play basketball.
"He's left-handed," and, "he's stubborn." ”
Lao Sa feels that stubbornness is an advantage, probably he knows very well how many hardships and setbacks he has to experience in the professional basketball world; Especially Lithuanians, it is not easy to make a living here.
Xiaosa carries his father's daimyo, but is different from his father. His father's right hand, his left hand; His dad is the Roof of the World Dominating Zone, and he is the elder of the new era of noodle basket play. His dad came to the Blazers after dominating FIBA, he played in Gonzaga, entered the NBA, and only became a starter in his fourth year. His dad is a rare genius in the basketball world, and he "has no explosive power, runs and jumps, and does not shoot the basket from a distance." The only thing he beat his dad was probably that his dad was old and his knees were wasted when he arrived in the NBA; He is still young.
But now, he's playing a better NBA career than his dad.
By training hard, by being a reasonable and correct teammate, by conforming to the version of the times to polish his skills, he walked out of a different great posture than his father.
"He's stubborn."
When we said "Sabonis played really well" in 2018, everyone knew that we were talking about Sabonis. But in 2023, if you say "Sabonis plays really well, rebounds, instigated, and is smart", you probably have to add a sentence "dad or son?" ”
Talent is not as good as Daddy, and he walks a different path than Daddy, but — at least in the NBA — broader.
Blue is better than blue.
"In the past, when people introduced me, they always said that this was Guo Juxia and his daughter. I hope that someone will introduce him in the future and say yes, this is Guo Nuxia and her father. ”
- Guo Furong, the first episode of "The Legend of Wulin".