Kings big men Domantas Sabonis, Alex Len lead teams into Round of 16 at EuroBasket 2022
The Kings will have two players in the Round of 16 at EuroBasket 2022 this weekend as Europe’s most prestigious tournament moves to Berlin, Germany to begin the knockout phase.
Domantas Sabonis will lead Lithuania into a game against Spain on Saturday and Alex Len will lead Ukraine against Poland on Sunday. Both Kings big men led their respective teams through group play to reach the elimination phase.
Lithuania survived despite going 2-3 in Group B. The Lithuanians lost to Slovenia, France and Germany before beating Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Lithuania, which also features New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas, will play Spain at 11:45 a.m. PT on Saturday.
Sabonis, a 26-year-old two-time NBA All-Star, averaged 12.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists over Lithuania’s first five games. He shot 52.4% from the field and made 2 of 7 (.286) from 3-point range, something Kings fans have watched closely in hopes he will improve that aspect of his game this season.
Ukraine went 3-2 in Group C, picking up wins over Great Britain, Estonia and Italy before losing to Greece and Croatia. Ukraine will play Poland at 3 a.m. PT on Sunday.
Len, a 29-year-old NBA journeyman, has been solid for the Ukrainian team, averaging 7.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals. He is shooting 48.3% from the field and has knocked down 5 of 10 (.500) from 3-point range.
Another EuroBasket participant with a Kings connection was Sasha Vezenkov. His Bulgarian team failed to advance after going 1-4 in group play, but Vezenkov was one of the tournament’s top individual performers, averaging 26.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 49.5% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.
Vezenkov, a 27-year-old forward, was named Greek League MVP after leading Olympiacos to the championship last season. The Kings acquired his rights in a draft night trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won’t play for Sacramento this season, but the Kings will revisit the possibility of signing him next summer.
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 9:11 AM.
