1. Domantas Sabonis, forward
The best player for the Indiana Pacers for the 2019-20 NBA season was their All-Star, Domantas Sabonis.
Who else could it have been? Sabonis was exceptional all season long for Indiana. The Pacers center took a major step this season, averaging 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 54-24-72 shooting splits and a PER of 20.7.
Sabonis’s scoring and rebounding are primarily what is talked about when discussing his game and how he has progressed from last season. And rightfully so. His scoring average jumped from 14.1 to 18.5 points per game. And his rebounding numbers jumped from 9.4 to 12.4 per game, good enough for fifth in the league.
But what sometimes gets forgotten is his passing ability. Domas is one of the best passing bigs in the league, following in his father’s footsteps in that regard. His average of five assists per game is good for 4th in the NBA among bigs, behind just Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo.
Sabonis was a double-double machine for Indiana this season, notching 50 of them on the year. And don’t go trying to pigeonhole Domas into being just a double-double guy. The 7-footer from Lithuania tallied four triple-doubles this season as well. One reason he was able to do all of this is his durability. He is one of the toughest players in the league, constantly taking hits down low and remaining in the game. Sabonis missed just three games and was another one of the cornerstones for this Pacers team who suffered so many injuries this season.
When it came time for the votes to be cast, Sabonis was rewarded for his tremendous play throughout the season. He was named to his first NBA All-Star team and competed in the Skills Competition, which he very nearly won, coming in second place.
There was some question about whether or not the Pacers would give Sabonis the extension he wanted after extending Myles Turner prior to last season. But on the day of the deadline, the Pacers and Sabonis agreed to terms on what is now looking like one of the most valuable contracts in the league at $74.9 million over four years.
The Pacers made the decision that they were going to start Sabonis alongside Turner, a decision that was criticized by many.
But the two bigs have made it work better than most people thought was possible. When Sabonis and Turner shared the floor this season, the Pacers had a positive net rating of 2.1.
And it was more than just making it work with Turner. This season Sabonis made just about everyone he played with better, especially in his pick and roll game with Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon and Sabonis tortured defenses with the pick-and-roll all season long and will look to continue to do so for the next several years in Indiana.
Domas just celebrated his 24th birthday earlier this month. His best years are very likely still ahead of him. If he stays on his current path, he is going to be very good for a very long time. The future could not be brighter for Domantas Sabonis, and I think it is finally safe to say the Pacers hit a home-run with this young man.