The Sacramento Kings recently declared that Domantas Sabonis will be out for at least three to four weeks. Doctors have diagnosed him with a left knee meniscus tear. This injury follows him sitting out Wednesday night’s contest vs the Oklahoma City Thunder from lingering knee soreness. The injury is just the latest hurdle for the athlete to overcome this season. Ever since the season kicked off, they have fought through a host of physical ailments.
For Sabonis, it’s been a rough welcome to the 2023-2024 NBA season. He sat out the club’s opening match of the regular season with a grade two hamstring strain that he picked up while training during preseason. In addition to that, earlier this month he missed two games because of a rib injury. Additionally, during medical, a tear of the meniscus was found. This injury will clearly keep him off the court for quite some time and he would have to be expected back no sooner than early December.
While he’s out, the Kings will need to make due in what is shaping up to be one of the Kings’ toughest seasons ever without one of their stars. Now, Sabonis has been key in leading the Kings to a surprisingly strong third seed in the 2023 playoffs. Along with De’Aaron Fox, he’s proven to be an invaluable force behind the team’s success. His leadership and flat-out dominance on the hardwood cannot be understated. Under new head coach Mike Brown’s egalitarian system, he has fully blossomed into a co-star.
This recent misfortune just seems like the Kings’ latest in a long line of disappointments. They now find themselves in crisis mode as the regular season begins. As the highest-paid player on the roster, with three years and $146.8 million remaining on his contract, Sabonis’s health and performance are vital for the team’s aspirations this year. The franchise looked to have a bright future at the start of this season. With Sabonis out, suddenly they’re in a hostile place to try to regain their momentum.
The Kings are going to have to prepare to play without Sabonis for at least the next 10 games. This prospect would only make their early-season struggles even worse. His absence will most definitely hurt the flow of this team and their performance on the floor. The team will have to recalibrate and learn how to compensate without their best player.
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