Indiana Pacers: Domantas Sabonis much more than a trade throw-in

Domantas Sabonis came to the Indiana Pacers as “the other guy” in the Paul George trade, but his early impact on the team has been immense.

When the Indiana Pacers dealt Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer, the news of the trade was initially met with anger and disbelief from the Pacers faithful.

The NBA community viewed this as a lopsided deal that was forced upon Indiana by Paul George and his agent. The Pacers had no trade leverage, and therefore had to sell George for pennies on the dollar.

However, general manager Kevin Pritchard stood firm that he targeted Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis as two players he really wanted; he insisted he felt good about the deal when it was made.

The early returns on this transaction have made Pritchard look like a very smart man. We’ve already discussed how terrific Oladipo has been since joining the Pacers, but the other piece in this trade should not be overlooked.

Domantas Sabonis has come to Indiana with his lunch pail and hard hat on, displaying equal parts toughness and savvy on the basketball court. He’s a blue-collar player, but one with a great deal of skill and intelligence.

Having spent most of the season filling in for injured starting center Myles Turner, Sabonis is averaging 13.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on 61.8 percent shooting from the field.

Sabonis has certainly been productive on the stat sheet, but his impact goes well beyond the numbers alone.

Domantas Sabonis is an excellent screen-setter, a valuable and underappreciated skill. In pick-and-roll action, Sabonis is very adept at catching even tough passes in traffic and finishing or drawing fouls at the rim.

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When the play is of the pick-and-pop variety, Sabonis does a great job settling into the open spot for a mid-range jump shot, which he makes on a routine basis.

Sabonis, much like his father before him (Hall of Fame center Arvydas Sabonis), is a very good passing big man. Domantas has an outstanding sense of where the ball needs to go, and he facilitates good team ball movement by making those decisions quickly.

Sabonis’ rebounding has been a huge plus for Indiana, particularly with Myles Turner sidelined. This is not a very good rebounding team, so having a glass eater like Sabonis in the paint has filled a very important need for the club.

Defense is another area in which Domantas Sabonis contributes to the Pacers’ cause. He’s primarily a power forward who has been forced to play the center position almost exclusively this season, yet he still has the second-best Defensive Rating on the team (100.7).

Sabonis was legitimately good on defense as a rookie last year, aside from getting a ton of fouls. Moves feet REALLY well, very aware.
— David Brandon (@birdrightsnba) October 30, 2017

It should be mentioned that Sabonis’ personality has also helped mold this new-look Indiana team. He is very professional, cares about his teammates and plays hard and with enthusiasm.

In short, Sabonis is exactly the type of player Kevin Pritchard wanted to build this team around in the post-Paul George era, and that strategy is paying dividends with the club off to a 5-3 start in 2017-18.

When multi-player trades are made in the NBA, it’s often the secondary pieces that can make or break the deal for one side or the other.

With regard to this particular transaction, Domantas Sabonis was not considered to be much more than a throw-in in what many saw as a George-for-Oladipo deal between Indiana and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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However, Sabonis has quickly shown himself to be a key part of both the present and future of the Indiana Pacers, and therefore a critical component to the trade that sent Paul George to the Thunder four months ago.

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