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Report: Kings' Domantas Sabonis to Have Testing on Hand Injury; Return Timeline TBD
December 24, 2022
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis' status is up in the air after he suffered a hand injury in Friday's loss to the Washington Wizards.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported it's unclear how much time, if any, Sabonis will miss after X-rays determined the need for further testing. It's possible he will not miss any time, but that will depend on a combination of pain tolerance and the result of the examinations.
Sabonis was injured in the fourth quarter Friday against Washington. He finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Sabonis has been an integral part of the Kings' strong start to the season, averaging 17.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
"No question about it—zero question," Kings head coach Mike Brown told reporters when asked if he believes Sabonis should be an All-Star. "If you don't vote for him to be an All-Star, in my opinion, you don't know basketball because what he's doing, it's almost on a historic level, and I'm not just talking about his ability to score or his ability to pass."
Sacramento heads into its brief Christmas hiatus at 17-14, good for sixth place in the Western Conference. The Kings have not made the playoffs or finished above .500 since the 2005-06 season.
The vagueness of the report leaves a ton left up to interpretation. We will likely have to wait until after the holiday to get a better outlook on Sabonis' outlook, but any extended absence would be a critical blow to Sacramento's turnaround.
Backups Trey Lyles, Chimezie Metu and Neemias Queta cannot come close to replicating Sabonis' value as a playmaker and offensive force.