Film Festival Series: Domantas Sabonis
By Gideon Lim
Early vibes
Through Domantas Sabonis’ first few games, Thunder fans assumed that he was chosen to replace Serge Ibaka in the starting line-up because of his shooting.
Sabonis exploited the fact that defences had yet to realize he had shooting range. Watch how even though Luc Mbah a Moute recovered well, Sabonis still comfortably took and made the shot.
On defense, Sabonis seemed to be a mess. In his Chesapeake Arena debut, Sabonis single-handedly creates a three-point look for the Suns.
Brandon Knight calls for a pick-and-roll. However, Sabonis over-thinks the play and hedges far too high on the pick, even though Knight had yet to even take a step. Jared Dudley slips the screen, forcing the defender to help off an open shooter.
The biggest complaint on Sabonis was his fouling tendencies. Through his first ten games, Sabonis averaged 3 fouls per game in just over 21 MPG.
Against Goran Dragic, Sabonis moves his feet well to contest the shot. Dragic doesn’t punish him here, but Sabonis’ hand discipline still leaves much to be desired. Sabonis waves his hands around too much, especially as he tries valiantly to slap the ball.
At this juncture, it seemed like the writing on Sabonis’ wall was clear. Keep up the good catch-and-shoot game, stay out of foul trouble and learn defensive schemes. He didn’t seem to have the potential to be elite, and he certainly seemed a completely different player from his college days.
At that point, it seemed like the only way for Sabonis was up.