During an interview with NBA reporter Sam Amick of The Athletic, Domantas Sabonis got honest about the Sacramento Kings’ season thus far.
Sabonis admitted that the Kings’ record “isn’t what we think it can be.”
“It’s tough to say because our record isn’t what we think it can be,” Sabonis said. “But we know we’ve dropped a lot of games where we’ve had full control. Just in this last week, the Phoenix and the Milwaukee (losses), those would have been two wins where we would have been up in fourth or fifth (place) or whatever it is, you know? It’s tough because we know we are better. We’ve shown it. We just sometimes go through these mental lapses in games, which are very, very controllable. We know that. There’s other games where we’ve controlled it and ended up winning the game.
“So we’ve just got to stay mentally strong. We need to win games to get the best seed as we can for the playoffs, but I feel like, as the year goes on, we’re learning more and more, you know? We’re seeing film, seeing what we do wrong.”
The Kings are 26-18. They are in fifth place in the Western Conference standings. Sabonis and Co. are seventh in the NBA in points per game and 20th in points per game allowed.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings Updates
“We’re realizing these things,” Sabonis said. “And the good thing is that we still have another 40 games. But it’s not going to get easier. It’s only gonna get harder as the year goes on because everyone’s fighting for this position. So it’s more about mental toughness for us.”
Sabonis, 27, is averaging 19.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks this season while shooting 61.4% from the field, 44.0% from beyond the arc and 68.0% from the free-throw line. The lefty has 40 double-doubles and 12 triple-doubles.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings Updates
Sabonis is second in the NBA in total rebounds, first in rebounds per game and first in defensive rebounds. The Kings signed Sabonis to a four-year, $186 million extension last offseason. They are 78-60 with Sabonis in the lineup.
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