Fans come across players putting up big numbers in the NBA on a game-t0-game basis in the past few years. Usually, it would just be a statistical outlier that gets the eyes of fans. But, that is not at all the case anymore. The feat needs to be so mind-boggling for it to catch the attention of spectators and a member of the Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox-led Sacramento Kings might not be given any favors because of this. He goes by the name of Domantas Sabonis.
When a casual NBA fan is asked about the first thing that pops into their mind when talking about the Kings, there will be a variety of answers. It can range from The Beam and Mike Brown's schemes to De'Aaron Fox's unrivaled on-court speed. However, only a few have come to appreciate Domantas Sabonis' insane all-around game. He has put in the effort to maintain one of the longest double-double streaks in league history.
Brian Windhorst and Ryan Ruocco noticed this weird anomaly about the discourse surrounding the Kings star. Windy even had to stress how insane it is that this type of feat is not being talked about a lot, via The Hoop Collective.
“So 53 straight double-doubles for Sabonis. You know he leads the league in triple-doubles as well. But the 53 straight double-doubles, I mean you can have a bad game. You can get in foul trouble. You can have a scorekeeper that’s not in the mood,” Windhorst said.
He then added how only big names have notched this feat, “I’m making a slight joke about that, but still. It’s the most double-doubles since Kevin Love, I think 14 years ago. The last player to have a longer streak is Elvin Hayes in ‘73 – ‘74, which was 55, which could / will pass this week.”
Kings star needs his flowers
Domantas Sabonis is currently playing 35.9 minutes per contest for Mike Brown's Kings alongside De'Aaron Fox. The big man is shooting at a highly efficient 60.8% field goal percentage which nets him 20 points on any given night. He also acts as the main guy on the glass which gets him 13.7 rebounds. Whenever they trap him, his passing off the post and playmaking show up. This allows Domantas Sabonis to create 8.3 assists for his teammates.
It's not also like these are empty numbers from the Kings. Sabonis' numbers have won seven out of their last 10 games and are seventh in the Western Conference standings. They are also just a game behind the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns which gives them a great opportunity to notch a better postseason position.
Ruocco posits that the sighting of big numbers makes this streak less relevant which could affect how fans view the Kings' big man.
“Brian, you’re 100% correct, and it has been overlooked. I don’t know guys if it’s because the triple-double has become so much more common over the last, you know, since Russ, that we overlook double-doubles,” he said.
Sabonis is leading the NBA with 24 triple-doubles with only Nikola Jokic's 22 trailing him. Will the Kings great get the love he deserves from around the league?
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