It's a Sunday afternoon in 2000. You've settled into your favorite chair, turned on NBC, and as "Roundball Rock" plays, Bob Costas introduces the matchup: the Lakers and Blazers. There's talent everywhere on the floor...Hall of Fame talent. Bryant and O'Neal leading Los Angeles, Wallace and Pippen opposite for Portland. The Western Conference was hanging in the balance. Kids everywhere were falling in love with basketball. I imagine it was even easier to fall in love if your dad was the one trying to check Shaq. Enter Indy's Domantas Sabonis.
Arvydas Sabonis had a good NBA career. He averaged 12 points per game over seven NBA seasons. He played professionally in his native Lithuania as well as Spain before joining the NBA before the 1995 season. He did everything pretty well, nothing exceptionally well, except comb his hair. His youngest son appears to have taken notes, with Domantas serving as the latest in a list of professional sports superstars that grew up around the game watching their dads. He doesn't have the flash of Fernando Tatis Jr., or the resume of Steph Curry and Peyton Manning. But make no mistake, Sabonis is playing at a superstar level.
The 6'11 power forward sat out six games from mid-April until May 1st. He's played twice since returning from that back injury, and has absolutely dominated. On Saturday night, a 57 point Pacers win against the Thunder (Sabonis's old team), the 25-year-old played 30 minutes. He scored 26 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and dished out 14 assists. He was +47 on the night, and had a triple-double in the first half. He followed that up with 32 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 assists in a loss Monday night to the Wizards. That means that over the last two games, Sabonis is averaging 29 points, 19 rebounds, and 11.5 assists per game. Those are Hall of Fame numbers in a non-Hall of Fame sample size. But more so, they give you a glimpse into a talent that is knocking on the door of the NBA's elite.
Sabonis was not a blue chip recruit coming into college. 247Sports ranked him as the 49th best power forward in the country before he ultimately signed with Gonzaga. He played two seasons in Spokane, averaging 17 and 12 as a sophomore before departing for the NBA Draft. Orlando took him 11th overall, before trading him to Oklahoma City. Sports Illustrated gave the pick a "B" rating, as did CBS Sports. That's not a terrible grade, but when you consider CBS gave the Bulls an "A-" for selecting Denzel Valentine three picks later, it looks a lot worse. Most of the draft reviews said Sabonis could turn into a solid NBA player in the right situation. Sports Illustrated called Sabonis, "not an elite athlete or an especially explosive leaper, and that coupled with his wingspan, raises questions as to how much of his rebounding and interior hustle points will translate." The questions have been answered.
On the season, Sabonis is averaging 20.2 points per game, 11.9 rebounds per game, and 6.2 assists per game. Anthony Davis was a first-team All-NBA performer last year averaging 26/9/3. That's not to say Sabonis is as good as Davis, or that Sabonis should be a first-team All-NBA selection this year. But it should give you more insight into just how good he's been. He's improved his scoring average every year since entering the league. Sabonis has double-doubles on back-to-back nights, bringing his total to 42 on the year. Of the five players in the league with more than 42 double-doubles, Sabonis has played the fewest amount of games. He has seven triple-doubles on the year. There are four players with more than that: Russell Westbrook with 32, a future Hall of Famer; Nikola Jokic with 15, the probable MVP; James Harden with 12, a future Hall of Famer; and Luka Doncic with 10, perhaps the most talented player in the league.
Why then is Sabonis not talked about more when the conversation of the NBA's best players is brought up? Playing in Indiana is assuredly part of it. The Pacers haven't been good since Paul George and Roy Hibbert were leading them to the Eastern Conference Playoffs and flirting with the NBA Finals. Perhaps it's the fact he's not American, although that matters less and less each year, as Jokic and Doncic continue to blossom. Or maybe it's because he's left-handed. Sure, Harden is left-handed, but he's a ball dominant player in one of the NBA's biggest markets, and one of the most recognizable faces in the game. Who was the last great left-handed player before Harden? Michael Redd and Manu Ginobili come to mind, but I'm not sure I'd categorize either as truly great. It's probably David Robinson, and he hasn't played in an NBA game in 18 years.
Whatever the reason is, it has an expiration date that is looming. Even playing in Indiana, you can't stay a secret forever (see Paul George), and with the Pacers likely participating in the NBA's upcoming play-in tournament for the postseason, Sabonis will get his chances on national TV. Much the same way his dad did back with the Blazers. Luckily for Domantas, he won't have to check Shaq. Instead, someone will have to check him.