Domantas Sabonis Any Questions?

#31
Honestly watching Sabonis back in college, never would've imagined he'd reach this level of effectiveness in the NBA. well done!

He's been excellent. How many games have there been like this? Sabonis is having these efforts like a heavyweight boxer who lands massive power shots early in the fight. A big part of why 4th quarters are turning to garbage time.

Thats really a great characteristic for this Kings team to have because our offense sure can be exhausting to try and comeback against.
That's the craziest part about Sabonis. If you were picturing him at his ceiling, you would've have guessed this. He was used entirely different at Gonzaga and didn't have the playmaking opportunities, but in his final year he averaged 1.8asts to 2.6tos!

For reference, he's currently at 6.4asts to 2.5tos.

Lots of analysts and commentators say that he's not a better passer than his dad was, but I think the's surpassed him now.
 
#33
That's the craziest part about Sabonis. If you were picturing him at his ceiling, you would've have guessed this. He was used entirely different at Gonzaga and didn't have the playmaking opportunities, but in his final year he averaged 1.8asts to 2.6tos!

For reference, he's currently at 6.4asts to 2.5tos.

Lots of analysts and commentators say that he's not a better passer than his dad was, but I think the's surpassed him now.
Maybe in terms of raw APG numbers, but his dad was something else as a passer. And IMO could easily average more assists in today's NBA, especially in his prime. Still, Domas clearly is the 2nd best passing big in the league, so he definitely took after his old man.
 
#34
Arvydas was well past his prime when he came to the NBA and this was back in the day that 2-3 month injuries ended careers.
And yet he still made a huge mark.

Domas pretty special but he has a long way to go to reach his dad.
 
#35
What's going to be important is that teams are going to have to respect the jumper and play him tighter. Which opens up all sorts of juicy passing lanes for cutters and now the rim protector is out of the paint.

I don't think Sabonis ever just starts ripping 3's, but he's absolutely been far more confident when left wide open and has a chance to really set his motion. Good development the last 10 games for him.
 
#36
That's the craziest part about Sabonis. If you were picturing him at his ceiling, you would've have guessed this. He was used entirely different at Gonzaga and didn't have the playmaking opportunities, but in his final year he averaged 1.8asts to 2.6tos!

For reference, he's currently at 6.4asts to 2.5tos.

Lots of analysts and commentators say that he's not a better passer than his dad was, but I think the's surpassed him now.
His Dad is the best passing big that I have seen. It is too bad he wasn't allowed to come over and play when he was in his prime.
 
#37
I think a lot of the poor defender takes stem from the fact that he's not a shot blocker. He's not the guy who's going to sky in from the weak side swatting away shots. But his man defense has usually looked pretty solid to me.
He will not give anybody an inch on the ground or in the sky without the fight. His opponents know. Refs are ready. He tries his best to play clean defense, yet, the NBA (or WWE or whatever) refs....... I watch plenty of Euroleague bball, so I'll just stop here.
Oh, btw, I played plenty of bball myself. I was not a pro, though I for awhile was trained for the first or second team of whatever. I was much better in other disciplines. I can tell you one thing. When others tried to foul me - they would end up hurting themselves more. Looks like the case with Domas too. Sure, he ends up with the bruises, blood and whats not, but I wonder: what hurts more, Domas face or somebody's elbow in the evening?
 
#48
Very interesting. I know the narrative on him is he's a poor defender. Maybe he's just decent defending the post?
It’s amazing how the narrative around the time of the trade was that domas is a very good offensive center and great rebounder….but you need to tailor your offense around him (I remember reading a lot about “Sabonisball”, like it was a bad thing) and he can’t anchor a successful defense. I’m just not buying the later argument at this point. You can tell the coaching staff places more emphasis on verticality as an absolutely critical piece of a strong defense. Perhaps even placing it at a higher level of importance than shot blocking. As that concept has been beaten into his brain we are starting to see less games where his is in foul trouble. With his size, strength and great footwork he can absolutely be a solid anchor to a defense assuming he is used correctly. Our coaching staff top to bottom is really something this year.
 
#51
That seems pretty good? I thought we traded Point God for Kosta Koufos though? What happened to that narrative?
I think it will linger until Sabonis makes another All Star game and we make a top 6 seed. Even then, the Game Theory types all like the same players. Wings and play making perimeter players. At least these guys know the game and are worth listening to. The Jacobys of the world are not.
 
#53
I think it will linger until Sabonis makes another All Star game and we make a top 6 seed. Even then, the Game Theory types all like the same players. Wings and play making perimeter players. At least these guys know the game and are worth listening to. The Jacobys of the world are not.
Yeah I run around in these nerd circles. Some amazing basketball conversations, but man, they can't let go of the 'optimal" archetype. It gets exhausting telling them to look up from the spreadsheet once in awhile and watch a game.

Even them though are giving love to Sabonis, basically just calling him poor man's Jokic. Which, to me, is an insane compliment considering Jokic probably goes down as a top 20 player all time