The Sacramento Kings center, who is a former NBA All-Star, is now demanding to have more of the ball on offense. And then, Kings rookie Darius Acuff put up 33 points in a loss.
Talking to ESPN’s James Ham after their season-opening games, Sabonis said he wants the Kings to run the offense through him as a playmaking hub to foster better ball movement and eliminate predictable, low-efficiency sequences.
The All-Star big man emphasized that the team settles for too many “one-pass shots” and isolation-heavy pick-and-rolls instead of making the opposing defense work.
This comes after the Kings’ early offensive struggles and a heavy reliance on rookie point guard Acuff Jr., who logged a massive usage rate in his debut.
“Move the ball. Get me the ball more so I can swing it and get guys open,” Sabonis said. “You know, we took a lot of one-pass shots, pick-and-roll shots without passing the ball, you know, those numbers are really high and I feel like we’re best when we kind of mix it up – point guard shoots, point guard hits the corner, point guard hits me, then I can make the read – that’s where I’m best at.”
Domantas Sabonis: “Move the ball. Get me the ball more so I can swing it and get guys open. You know, we took a lot of one-pass shots, pick-and-roll shots without passing the ball, you know,
What Domantas Sabonis Wants To Happen In The Kings Offense
Sabonis clarified that he is not simply looking to shoot more, but rather wants to receive the ball so he can read the floor, swing it to open teammates, and maximize the team’s spacing.
He backed up this basketball philosophy in the Kings’ second game, putting up a monster triple-double with 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Portland Trail Blazers,
Rather than shying away, the No. 7 overall pick responded aggressively in his second outing against the Trail Blazers. Acuff exploded for 33 points and four assists in 37 minutes, breaking the franchise record for the highest single-game scoring output by a teenager and becoming the first rookie in the 2026 class to drop a 30-point game.
Acuff’s efficiency remained a work in progress, shooting just 10-of-26 from the floor and 2-of-11 from deep.
Darius Acuff Does Not Care About Scoring 33 Points
Darius Acuff was the last guy happy to see him score 33 points in only his second game in the NBA. Acuff believed it would mean more if the Kings won the game over the Trail Blazers
“It was good, but shit, it don’t matter. We lost, so ain’t nothing I want more than a win. So everything I do is fine, but if we don’t get the win, it really don’t matter.”
Acuff has yet to win a game this season after two outings.
Nevertheless, Acuff has earned praise from the Kings head coach Doug Christie for his mentality.
“He’s special,” Christie said. “He wants to win. He wants to be good. All that matters is winning. If he didn’t score 33, and he scored 13 and we won, he’d be happy. But at the same time, if he would have scored 44 and we won, he would have been happy. The bottom line is he wants to compete and win.”
There are still plenty of games left for Acuff to prove himself as the Kings navigate another tough offensive season for the team.
Kings All-Star Center Demands The Ball More. Then, Rookie Darius Acuff Drops 33 Points