DOMANTAS SABONIS APPRECIATION POST

Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis led the team to an impressive 116-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, recording his second triple-double this season and the sixth of his career. Sabonis did so with elite efficiency as well, shooting 9-10 from the floor and 2-3 on three-point attempts. The Lithuanian also led the team with a plus/minus of +19.

As pretty as the box score numbers are, they still don’t do justice to the performance Sabonis put on in Charlotte last night. Throughout the game, the Pacers big man displayed the blend of brute strength and technical ability that earned him a spot on the All-Star team last season.

Watching Domantas Sabonis play basketball is like watching a bear ride a unicycle in that you're consistently shocked at how a being that size completes its task with such grace. At 6’11”, 240 pounds, Sabonis has the build of an old school power forward, but his style of play reflects the changes big men have made to remain relevant in today’s NBA.

Sabonis is the heart and soul of the Pacers' offense this season, and the best indicator of this is not his 20.4 points per game, but rather his 5.8 assists a night, which ranks 21st in the league. The fifth-year pro has also improved as a floor stretcher on the offensive end, knocking down 37% of his attempts from beyond the arc on a career-high 2.6 attempts per game.

The multi-faceted big man spends as much time initiating offense from the top of the key as he does posting up opponents on the blocks, and Sabonis put his skills on display with a dazzling trio of plays in the first half against Charlotte.

In the first quarter, Sabonis had the ball at the top of the key with only Hornets point guard Terry Rozier between him and the basket. Sabonis took off towards the rim and used a combination of speed and strength to blow past Rozier for an easy layup.

Later in the first, the Pacers forced a turnover and Sabonis found himself with the ball just past half court and a defender looming ahead of him. The big man took a smooth dribble behind his back and then split two defenders with a seamless bounce pass to Doug McDermott to finish the fast break.

Finally, in the second quarter Sabonis faced off with Rozier at the top of the key again, and this time around he used a flashy spin move to beat the guard off the dribble before drawing a foul and earning a trip to the free-throw line.

Each of these plays was a display of Sabonis’ elite playmaking abilities on the offensive end, showcasing his rare blend of strength, agility and basketball IQ. The power forward plays a major role in the Indiana offense, and that won’t change soon as both T.J. Warren and the newly-acquired Caris LeVert remain sidelined indefinitely. If he continues to play at such a high level, Sabonis seems destined to earn All-Star honors, if not more, once again this season.