Indiana Pacers: Domantas Sabonis is powering Indiana’s strong start

Domantas Sabonis is powering Indiana’s hot start

After suffering an injury that prevented Domantas Sabonis from playing in the NBA’s restart bubble during the summer, it was easy to forget how good the Indiana Pacers could be with a clean bill of health.

During the playoffs without Sabonis, the Pacers were swept by the Miami Heat in a simple fashion. They didn’t put up much of a fight and had no answers to the Heat’s dynamic attack on the offensive end and versatile weapons defensively.

Through the first three games this season, however, the Pacers, with Sabonis, have picked up where they left off last season (when they were healthy). The Pacers have gotten off to a 4-0 start and are coming off an impressive statement game against the Boston Celtics, in which they prevailed 108-107 Sunday night.

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With a healthy Sabonis leading the way for Indiana offensively, the Pacers are once again looking like a dangerous Eastern Conference team. Through four games, Sabonis is averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists on 57 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Sabonis has been the heart and soul of the Pacers’ offense and even hit what would end up being the game-winning basket for the Pacers against the Celtics. Indiana may not have as much top-level talent that some of the other Eastern Conference contenders may have, but they are one of the deepest teams in the conference.

When healthy, this is a team that no one in the East will want to play in a playoff series and their start to the 2020-21 season echoes exactly that sentiment.

Indiana is finally healthy and flashing some of that potential that many were hoping that we’d see last season. However, in part thanks to the NBA’s hiatus, we never really got to see it.

All the stars are aligning for the Pacers to make some noise in the East. And if Domantas Sabonis can remain healthy and a force on the offensive end, there’s no question that Indiana is a team to keep an eye on as we get deeper into the regular season.