Evolution of Domantas Sabonis: From spot-up shooter to an offensive machine / News - Basketnews.com

Domantas Sabonis inherited an unbelievable passing ability from his father and legendary Lithuanian basketball player Arvydas Sabonis. However, good genes are not enough to become a two-time NBA All-Star.

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In this video, BasketNews' Augustas Šuliauskas goes through Domantas Sabonis' NBA career and analyzes how he transformed into a dominant playmaking big man.

Sabonis was drafted 11th overall in 2016 and spent his first year in the NBA playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. At that time, the team was trying to recover after Kevin Durant's departure to the Warriors and inserted Domantas in the starting lineup alongside Steven Adams.

Both Adams and the team general Russell Westbrook were non-shooters, so coaches wanted Sabonis to go in and spread the floor, making him a stretch four that barely touched the ball. However, that plan didn't work out too well, as Sabonis ended the season with a 6-point scoring average on a 32% 3-point accuracy.

Sabonis showed glimpses of greatness in his second season with the Thunder after moving from the starting lineup to a bench role.

Shortly afterward, Paul George forced his way out of Indiana and got traded to the OKC in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Sabonis. This was the opportunity Domantas needed to shine.

Domantas' playing time with the Indiana Pacers immediately increased from 16 minutes to 24 minutes per game. But more importantly, he was finally allowed to play his game and show his strengths.

That started with Sabonis being moved from power forward to center. From that point, the Lithuanian big man was no longer shooting multiple 3-pointers per game and transitioned to more of a pick-and-roll player, setting screens and rolling quickly to the rim.

Points this season

46%110,0Points made:110,0Accuracy:45,7%Place in standings:14Record max:142Record min:75Best scorer:De'Aaron FoxTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

He proved that he is great at setting touch-and-go picks, where Sabonis turns around really fast and rolls to the rim before the help defense arrives. That meant he transitioned from a spot-up shooter to a point-forward, facilitating the offense and making correct reads.

Physicality was an area where Domantas struggled at the start of his NBA career. Despite having elite footwork, passing skills, and basketball IQ, Sabonis struggled to get close enough to the basket for easy points.

However, Domas quickly corrected this weakness and significantly increased his strength without losing his speed.

In the 2019-20 season, Sabonis was finally placed in Indiana's starting lineup, sharing the floor with Myles Turner and earning his first All-Star nod. He flourished into the main catalyst of the Pacers' offense, leaving Myles Turner in the role of a floor-spacing big. Indiana's coaching staff learned about all the ways they can utilize Sabonis' strengths.

Hours upon hours of refining his skills in the gym turned Sabonis into one of the most fun players to watch in the NBA.

From a passive spectator in Oklahoma City to a true offensive machine in Indiana, this has been the evolution of the All-Star big man. Domantas' next challenge is trying to reach the Playoffs with the Sacramento Kings - something that hasn't been done in the last 16 years.

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