Sixth Man of the Year: Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
14.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Before I talk about Domantas Sabonis, I want to give this reminder; at any one time, there are 150 players that start for an NBA team. Domantas Sabonis is not one of them.
With that in mind, here are some stats in which Sabonis ranks in the top 20 for the entire league; rebounds per game (18th), rebounding percentage (eighth), field goal percentage (fifth), true shooting percentage (third), offensive rating (11th), defensive rating (seventh), win shares (16th), box plus-minus (16th) and player efficiency rating (14th), among others.
So, basically, Sabonis is one of the best players in the league on both players of the floor, and he’s having that sort of impact in just 25 minutes per game? Right, got it.
Most bench players are in a reserve role because of some inefficiency or weakness in their game, but there are no obvious deficiencies for Sabonis. Per 36 minutes, he’s averaging 21.5 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. The only thing holding him back from true stardom is his place behind Myles Turner in Indiana’s pecking order and his continued positive impact off the bench.
Despite playing just the seventh most minutes on the Pacers roster, he comfortably leads the team in box plus-minus and has the best net rating of any player in their regular rotation. He’s doing all of this on a team that is 32-15 and sitting third in the East.
With Victor Oladipo ruled out for the rest of the season, the road ahead will be rough for the Pacers. It remains to be seen whether they can continue winning without their star, or whether Sabonis will slow down with the added attention. But up until this point, he’s been the best reserve in the NBA and is deserving of recognition.
Honorable mentions: Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers; Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets; Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers