Domantas Sabonis, the 22-year-old youngster from Lithuania, is a son of the legendary Arvydas Sabonis, who is NBA Hall of Famer and the best player in Lithuania's history. It is never easy for young players to earn their name, especially when everyone compares them to their famous parents. In Domantas Sabonis case, it took a while for him to become Domantas Sabonis rather than Arvydas Sabonis' son. Even today, after Domantas had a great season in Indiana, there are still people who say that his father bought him the spot in the team and that he gets playing time only because his father was great. That is ridiculous, but it also puts a lot of pressure on Domantas.
Of course, there are also some perks to be a son of a legend. From young days, Domantas had all the facilities and conditions to train. He also had the best coach, his dad, who gave him a lot of tips, which other kids could only dream of. Also, let's not forget genes - Domantas Sabonis have inherited both mental and physical skills from his father and those skills help him while battling against the best players in the world. To be honest, I already believe that Domantas Sabonis is the key figure in the Indiana Pacers, but I expect even more - I can see Domantas becoming the second best player in the team after Victor Oladipo. I doubt he can become a leader because of his game style which is based on teamplay and efficiency rather than showing-off and scoring much.
The Indiana Pacers Made a Perfect Call
Domantas Sabonis did not fit in Oklahoma and his rookie season was not extremely promising. Even though Domantas started 2016/17 season as a starter and had some great games, his playing time and efficiency curve slowly fallen throughout the year. Sabonis finished his rookie year with 6 points, 1 assist, and 3.6 rebounds per game average. It seemed like he won't be anything more than a good role player. However, things changed when the Indiana Pacers took a gamble and traded their superstar Paul George for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Most analysts said that it was one of the worst trades that the Indiana Pacers could think of and that Domantas Sabonis would never live up to the expectations of the Indiana Pacers.
Myles Turner, the main big guy of the Indiana Pacers, got injured and had to miss the beginning of the 2017/18 season. One man's loss is another man's gain. Domantas Sabonis got a perfect chance to prove to the coach that he is capable of much more than we saw in his rookie season. Domantas Sabonis started his second year as a starter and became the second most important player in the team after Victor Oladipo. Of course, it would be too much to expect that 21-year-old sophomore with limited physical strength would become a leader of the playoffs team right away.
When Myles Turner came back from the injury, Domantas Sabonis became the 6th player of the team. That did not stop him from achieving great numbers. Sabonis recorded 11.6 points, two assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game average and experts had to apologize for not believing in this youngster from Lithuania. Also, Sabonis showed a great basketball IQ and a lot of plays were centered around him and his perfect ability to make screens.
Can Sabonis Become an All-Star?
Domantas Sabonis doesn't look or act as an all-star, and he is more concerned about his team winning rather than statistics. Also, his role in the team is to support and help players like Oladipo to get free. Sabonis does it perfectly by setting up one of the most beautiful screens in the NBA. However, at this point of career, Domantas Sabonis is not yet ready to become a player that determines the game by his abilities.
Domantas Sabonis is still physically weak, and that shows on the defensive end of the court. Even though Sabonis has improved a lot in his two years in the NBA, he still needs to spend a lot of time in the gym if he wants to have a shot at defending against bigger and more athletic players like Anthony Davis. Of course, we all know that it is impossible to stop Davis, but there is a difference between him scoring 60 and 30. Today, Davis would score 60 if he could play against Sabonis.
Another thing that concerns me about Domantas Sabonis is his shooting. It is clear that Sabonis can shoot and that is a very powerful weapon for a power forward to have. Sadly, Sabonis is not a stable shooter yet. One night he might make 8/8 shots and another night he might start shooting bricks. Sabonis has made 50 percent FGs and 35 percent 3-pointers in the last season and those numbers are not terrible. However, he still needs a lot of work to do to become a solid shooter, who attracts big guys outside of the box and stretches the opposing defense. And just like his father, Domantas Sabonis has superb passing skills for a big guy, which means that he can easily capitalize on any defensive mistakes and holes that the opposing team leaves.
Apart from that, Domantas Sabonis has all the package and has already proved that he is capable of being the best player on the court on a given night. It would be a dream for Lithuanians to see Domantas Sabonis reaching his father's level, but it is not a mission impossible. However, it is very unlikely. Though, I can easily see Sabonis as 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game player at his prime. I doubt that his character and role on the court is enough for Sabonis to expect becoming an all-star. However, when Domantas is on the court, his team plays much better because of his efforts and mindset to concentrate for a victory rather than himself.
Domantas Sabonis is a type of player that only real experts appreciate to the fullest while the majority of fans see him as an average supportive player. However, those players are usually the ones that win titles and have the most respect from their coaches. I can see Domantas Sabonis becoming one of those players in 5 years period.
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