NBA
Kings PF Domantas Sabonis On Returning From Thumb Injury, ‘I Don’t Like Sitting On The Bench’
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated29 Dec 2022
The Sacramento Kings are 18-15 so far in the 2022-23 season, which is third in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference. Shouldering a lot of the offensive and defensive duties for the Kings are De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. When Sabonis was diagnosed with a right thumb injury, the hearts of Kings fan sunk immediately. Luckily for them he has no intentions on missing an extended period of time.
Sabonis is an all-star PF who doesn’t need to be in the spotlight like other players. He quietly does his job every night and impacts the game heavily for Sacramento. The two-time all-star returned to action on Wednesday night after missing just one game due to the thumb injury.
He just so happened to have one of his best performances of the year when he dropped a season-high 31 points and had no minutes restrictions. The Kings are going to have to play this carefully. Sabonis has the ability to play through this injury, but will it be sustainable for the entire season?
Domantas Sabonis made a massive impact in his return to action.
31 PTS
10 REB
5 AST
1 STL
1 BLK
12/18 FG
2/2 3PT
38 MIN"I think that his right hand looked pretty good to me." – Jordi Fernandezpic.twitter.com/AwEttsBubV
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) December 29, 2022
Sabonis does not intend to miss any time with his right thumb injury
Doctors and those around the team have suggested that surgery is likely the cleanest option for Sabonis, but that would cause him to miss at least four-to-six weeks for the injury to heal. He was told that he could play through the injury and “remain functional” for the team. Yesterday he returned from injury and had an easy 31/10/5, along with a steal and a block in their 127-126 win.
The big man had this to say to the media on his decision to play through the injury.
“If I could play through it, that’s something I could try at least. … I don’t like sitting on the bench. Especially in street clothes. It kind of wasn’t in my mind. I told everyone I’m still playing.” – Domantas Sabonis
For the 2022-23 season, Sabonis averages 18/12/6 and is shooting 62 percent from the field on the season. De’Aaron Fox leads the Kings with (23.6) points per game this season.
