During an interview with Eurohoops, New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas said Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis should have been an NBA All-Star this season.
“He’s very talented,” Valanciunas said about Sabonis. “He’s a very good player. I think he deserved to be an All-Star. But it is what it is. We can’t reverse that back.”
Sabonis is averaging 19.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists this season for the Kings while shooting 62.3% from the field, 44.1% from beyond the arc and 69.2% from the free-throw line. He’s first in the NBA in double-doubles, total rebounds, rebounds per game and defensive rebounds.
LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the Western Conference All-Star starters. The reserves are Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Sabonis is a three-time All-Star. He made his first All-Star team with the Kings last season. The lefty also made his first All-NBA team in 2022-23.
The Kings are 30-22 on the season. They are in seventh place in the Western Conference standings. If the season ended today, Sabonis and Co. would be in the play-in tournament.
Sacramento lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in seven games. It will be fascinating to see how far the Kings go this year.
Sabonis has career averages of 15.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Kings. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
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