Sacramento Kings star center Domantas Sabonis will miss at least the next 10 days of action with a right ankle sprain. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.
The injury occurred when the Kings hosted the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Sabonis was attempting a drive to the basket in the third quarter and was writhing in pain. He was immediately helped off the court.
Sabonis has averaged 19.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while shooting 59.3 percent from the field. He is also shooting a career-high 42.5 percent from three on 2.3 attempts per game.
Kings Outlook Without Sabonis
Sacramento is ninth in the West with a 34-33 record. The team is 3-6 without Sabonis so far this season.
Of their 15 games remaining, six are against sub-.500 teams. Over the next week, though, opponents include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jonas Valanciunas will step into the starting role, something he is more than accustomed to. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk will have to take on more usage, something each of them is more than accustomed to doing as well.
Sabonis May Miss Out On Recognition
The Lithuanian has played in 58 games thus far. He needs to play in at least seven more contests to be eligible for end-of-season awards. Sabonis would have been a serious candidate for an All-NBA team, partially because of how many players have already been ruled out due to injury and a lack of games played.
Sabonis was not recognized as an All-Star this season even though he leads the league in rebounding and double-doubles.
So far in his career, Sabonis has made three All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams.