The Sacramento Kings didn't have many expectations coming into the year, but sitting at 1-7 after eight games has made the season feel like a slog to get through already, and there are still 74 games left. The combination of bad offense and bad defense was expected, but the hope was that the offense would improve enough to carry the team while they climbed on defense. It's safe to say that's not been the case.

There's no single issue that is bringing the Kings down; it's a multitude of problems dragging them down, but through the early stretch of the season, there is a clear trend taking place that can't be ignored anymore. Domantas Sabonis' shot chart is a huge problem for the Kings' offense.

The Scheme

The Kings have been using Sabonis as their offensive hub, which has been great for getting Acuff and LaVine open off screens and dribble handoffs, but their opponents are able to completely sag off Sabonis, knowing he's not going to shoot.

It packs the paint for the guards attacking and makes it hard to get Sabonis the ball as a roller. And, especially when paired with Precious Achiuwa's lack of shooting, it slows down the Kings' offense to a halt at times. The Kings aren't good enough to overcome slow stretches, and we've already seen them lose a game in a matter of minutes with a big run from the other team.

The Numbers

Sabonis has never been a high-volume three-point or even mid-range shooter, but we haven't seen him completely disregard the shot like this before. Through the first eight games, he's taken only two three-point attempts and three mid-range field goals, making one of each. For context, Sabonis has shot 39 times in the restricted area and 25 in the floater area, making 30 and 15 of each, respectively.

That means that 92.8% of Sabonis' shots have come in the paint. Even though Sabonis is shooting a sky-high 68.1% from the field, that's about as predictable as it gets for planning against the Kings offense and creating a game plan.

It would be one thing if Sabonis was going 12-of-15 from the field every night, but he's taking just 8.6 field goal attempts per game, the fewest since his rookie year with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016-17.

And it's not just that Sabonis isn't shooting from mid-range; it's that he's not even looking at the hoop to get a shot up. It's either an immediate drive to the hoop or a dribble handoff with one of the guards. There's the possibility this scheme improves drastically when Keegan Murray returns for Achiuwa, and he and Hunter roam the perimeter as shooters, but with this current roster, it just doesn't feel like it's going to work and feels like a huge problem brewing in Sacramento.