Indiana Pacers: Sorting out the Myles Turner/Domantas Sabonis quandary

By Adrian Lawhorn | Nov 7, 2017

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images /

Myles Turner is a cornerstone player for the Indiana Pacers, but Domantas Sabonis has earned a primary spot in the rotation. Now that Turner has returned from injury, the team needs to find court time for both of these young big men.

The Indiana Pacers have a problem, but as far as problems go, this is one they can live with. The newly-acquired Domantas Sabonis has played so well this season that he has earned significant minutes, but making that tweak to the rotation is easier said than done.

Sabonis began the year as the team’s backup power forward, but when Myles Turner suffered a concussion in Indiana’s opening night game, Sabonis was pressed into duty as the Pacers’ starting center.

Sabonis started eight games in place of Turner, averaging 12.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest on 58.6 percent shooting.

The Lithuanian big man has been a revelation for Indiana, but now that Turner has returned to the lineup, an interesting dilemma has been created for head coach Nate McMillan. Sabonis is simply too good to play limited minutes off the bench, but getting him on the court more is not as easy as it sounds.

The first option one can look at is moving Sabonis into the starting lineup, but that isn’t a good idea. Myles Turner clearly needs to start at center, and Thaddeus Young (14.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game) has played very well at both ends of the court and should stay put as the starting power forward.

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There is really no way to redistribute playing time without affecting some guys who ideally should be in the rotation, but fortunately, there is a workable solution in this case.

Rookie power forward T.J. Leaf has done a nice job for Indiana, particularly in terms of his offensive production (48.8 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range). However, between his inexperience and current ankle injury, he can be pushed back to spot minutes.

Center Al Jefferson came into training camp this year 40 pounds lighter and ready to show he still has game, and he did a good job as the Pacers’ backup center while Turner was out. But as a 13-year veteran on the downside of his career, he is best served to function as a deep bench player at this time.

Sure, it would be great if both Leaf and Jefferson could get steady rotation minutes, but the only logical way to get Domantas Sabonis on the floor for around 30 minutes per game is to have him back up both the power forward and center positions.

This is a solid plan, but there are a couple things that may alter it as we move forward. Indiana would like to develop Leaf this season, and if the team begins to fall out of playoff contention, giving him playing time will become more of a priority.

Secondly, Sabonis does have a tendency to get into foul trouble, and those occasions will open up potential opportunities for Leaf (and possibly Jefferson).

Domantas Sabonis is a very skilled and very intelligent basketball player, and if winning is in the Pacers’ plans, he needs to be in the lineup as much as possible.

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It’s usually tough for an NBA coach to give playing time to everyone who deserves it, and this scenario is no different. However, McMillan will gladly deal with having a player commanding increased minutes because he’s become that valuable, that quickly.

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