One of the largest impact players to be moved during February’s NBA Trade Deadline was Domantas Sabonis. There had been rumors about the Indiana Pacers wanting to break up their frontcourt, and it ended up being Sabonis who was dealt to the Sacramento Kings. Indiana had gotten off to a very slow start this season, and realized that their team needed to get younger as they looked ahead to their future. The Kings, on the other hand, were very much playing for the present and thought Sabonis would be critical in bolstering their chances of qualifying for the play-in tournament. The two-time All-Star has produced the same scoring and rebounding frequency in Sacramento as he did with Indiana.
Domantas Sabonis – Childhood
Domantas Sabonis was born on May 3, 1996, in Portland, Oregon. His birthplace is relevant to his story, because his father, Arvydas, was playing for the Trail Blazers at the time. Arvydas Sabonis, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is known as one of the greatest passing big men of all time. His career is one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history since he dominated Europe in his 20s but only started playing in the NBA in his 30s. By that time, injuries had taken their toll and sapped most of his athleticism.
Even though Domantas spent the first few years of his life in Portland while his father was wrapping up his NBA career, he spent most of his childhood growing up in Spain. It was a strategic decision made by Domantas’ parents, who did not want their kids to have the pressure of growing up in Lithuania carrying a legendary surname. Regardless of where they were, Sabonis and his two brothers were obsessed with playing basketball and rubbed elbows with other NBA players as children.
Domantas Sabonis – Early Professional Days
Unlike most American prospects, Domantas Sabonis did not build up his acclaim during high school games and AAU showcases. He did further his education in a British-style high school but actually played professional basketball in Spain during most of his traditional high school years.
He played for Unicaja Malaga in the EuroLeague, which allowed him to play against grown men. While Sabonis did not get a lot of playing time for them(close to 10 minutes per game according to Sports Reference), he was gaining exposure to some of the highest levels of competition in the world outside of the NBA. His numbers were not anything to ride home about, but the pedigree that he had was a boost to his future stock. Additionally, he did not take a salary to play for Unicaja, which meant that Sabonis could keep his amateur status intact, and play for a university in the United States.
What college did Domantas Sabonis go to?
Current University of Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd played an integral role in Domantas Sabonis’ transition back to the United States. Back when Sabonis was starting out with Unicaja, it was Lloyd, who was then an assistant for Gonzaga University, that visited Sabonis and his brother to sell them on a future with their program. Bulldogs head coach Mark Few had entrusted Lloyd over the years with bringing in top talent from overseas, while most of the college basketball landscape was focused on domestic talent.
Lloyd’s respectful approach was appreciated by Sabonis, who did end up choosing Gonzaga when all was said and done. 2014-2015 would end up being the first NCAA season Sabonis would play, and he got off to a solid start in Spokane. He was part of a three-headed frontcourt monster that included Kyle Wiltjer and fellow international talent Przemek Karnowski.
Sabonis set his career-high in scoring in his freshman season early on, in a game against St. Thomas Aquinas, where he dropped 19 points. His impact on the glass was evident from day one, and would routinely give the Bulldogs second chance opportunities on offense. Gonzaga made it to the Elite 8 that year, but could not keep it close in the final match moments against Duke. He would be named to the WCC all-freshman team, and the all WCC second team.
2015-2016 would be the second NCAA season Sabonis would play, and he was incredible throughout the duration of the campaign. Head coach Mark Few increased his playing time to nearly 32 minutes per contest, and he flourished. His game logs display double-double statistical outputs pretty much every night, highlighted by outstanding career-high performance on the glass of 20 rebounds against Pacific.
The former Unicaja player would also score a college career-high 36 points against the University of Tennessee. All told, he averaged 17.6 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game, while shooting a commendable 77 percent from the free-throw line.
Sabonis led Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament in his sophomore season with three straight double-doubles in March Madness. He demonstrated on the biggest stage that he was ready to take his physical yet plentiful skill set to the next level sooner rather than later.
Domantas Sabonis – Lithuania Men’s National Team
Domantas Sabonis has also represented Lithuania during major international competitions as well. Sabonis has not quite ascended to the level his father once reached in this capacity, but he will have many chances in the future to make his mark.
He appeared in six games for Lithuania in the 2016 Olympics, averaging 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He had a bit more of an impact alongside fellow NBA player Jonas Valanciunas in the FIBA World Cup in 2019, with 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game averages.
Domantas Sabonis – Oklahoma City Thunder
Sabonis figured to have one of the highest floors of any player heading into the 2016 NBA Draft. At the very worst, he would turn into a viable physical presence who could crash the boards. In an era where considerations about a player’s maximum potential are so prevalently focused on, sometimes it is alright to take a player who is almost guaranteed to make a contribution from day one. The Oklahoma City Thunder did just that, by selecting Domantas Sabonis with the 11th overall pick.
Oklahoma City was a franchise in transition, just having lost superstar forward Kevin Durant in free agency. They still wanted to compete in the Western Conference but knew it would take a different form, with point guard Russell Westbrook leading the charge. Similar to his freshman year at Gonzaga, Sabonis was part of a big man triumvirate in his rookie year along with Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. Sabonis played in 81 games as a rookie, while getting his feet wet in the NBA with an average of 20 minutes per night.
Domantas Sabonis – Indiana Pacers
As it turned out, Domantas Sabonis was not with his first NBA team past his rookie season. Oklahoma City wanted to bring in another established star alongside Westbrook to replace Durant, so they traded Sabonis and Victor Oladipo to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Paul George. Oladipo was viewed as the centerpiece of the young haul coming back to the Pacers, but it would actually be Sabonis who returned the most value for the franchise.
In Sabonis’ first two years in Indiana, head coach Nate McMillan decided to use the Lithuanian big man primarily off the bench. In 2018-2019, he averaged over nine rebounds per game, while coming off the bench in 69 out of 74 regular-season contests. The team likely stagged Sabonis so that he and center Myles Turner could cap their time on the floor together to allow for better offensive spacing.
However, by the 2019-2020 season, Sabonis had become too good to bring in as a reserve. He started in all 62 games he appeared in, averaging 18.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, the latter of which is still his career-high. He was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team in that campaign as well, as a 23-year-old. It was also during that season Sabonis flashed a skill set that was very reminiscent of his father’s. The Pacers decided to let their offense run more through Sabonis, and his assist numbers spiked up to five per night.
The following year, the former Gonzaga standout had his most productive NBA season to date. He put up over 20 points per night, and just under seven assists, as a power forward/center. Sabonis had elevated his game to a level that made him the focal point of the Pacers’ attack, rather than just a rim runner and rebounder. Even with the added playmaking responsibility, he still managed to haul in 12 boards per game.
Trade Rumors
He was off to another strong start individually this season, but Indiana faltered out of the gates. Rumors had swirled for the past couple of seasons regarding the ceiling of a team starting both Sabonis and Turner in a league that has largely gone small. Since the current campaign was slipping away, the franchise decided to make a blockbuster trade to set them up for the future.
Sacramento Kings
Right before the NBA trade deadline, the Indiana Pacers sent Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, and Jeremy Lamb to the Sacramento Kings, in exchange for Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, and Tristan Thompson.
The trade served its purpose for the respective basketball teams. The Kings were looking to get out of the Western Conference doldrums and make a run for the postseason. Sabonis brought his usual product to the west coast, averaging the exact same amount of points(18.9) in Sacramento that he had with the Pacers. Unfortunately for the player and the team, he suffered a knee bruise that might keep him out for the rest of the season.
Domantas Sabonis – NBA Future
Despite the massive transaction, it doesn’t appear like the Kings will be able to make the postseason. The good news for Sacramento is that Sabonis is under contract for the next two seasons, and the team can develop chemistry in training camp heading into 2022-2023.
He’s only 25 years old, and it’s scary to think that we may not have seen the best of the young big man yet. The depth of the Western Conference has taken a bit of a hit this season, so it is not unrealistic to think that a full season of Sabonis in Sacramento could help end one of the longest playoff droughts in professional sports history.
What nationality is Sabonis?
Domantas is American but his parents are of Lithuanian descent.
Is Domantas Sabonis good at defense?
Domantas Sabonis’ biggest weakness is perimeter, where he has to move a lot to defend against quick players. It can be tough for him when he has to stay in front of someone who is fleet of foot – he tends to fall for fakes a lot. He’s not an All-Defensive caliber player, but he can pull his weight.
