Domantas Sabonis (Son of Arvydas ex-Blazers) Gonzaga

[Hellcrooner]

Thoughts on him?

[Jstock12]

Strengths:
Good rebounder
Good passer
Good post-game
Crafty around the rim
Quite mobile, quick
Good motor
Doesn't mind banging in the paint

Weaknesses:
Average athleticism
Weak FT shooter (~60-65%)
Streaky midrange jumper
Not a shotblocker

[Jstock12]

Scouting video from DraftExpress:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er69CSpUd34

[Jstock12]

Pretty good debut in NCAA season opener vs Sacramento St

20 minutes, 14 points (6-9 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 0 turnovers

[Bodie Broadus]

Impressed with the start, great line. Looking forward to seeing this kid play, gotta check their schedule. High expectations for Gonzaga, some have pegged them as a Final Four team.

[Jstock12]

Impressed with the start, great line. Looking forward to seeing this kid play, gotta check their schedule. High expectations for Gonzaga, some have pegged them as a Final Four team.

Could very well be. They don't quite have any superstar talent or a one-and-done, but their depth is no joke. You could swap their starting line-up with their bench and there might be little to no drop-off. Sabonis might be one of the best bench players in the country, but my bet is he's gonna earn that starting job by the end of the season.

[Jstock12]

Pretty good debut in NCAA season opener vs Sacramento St

20 minutes, 14 points (6-9 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 0 turnovers

Second game in NCAA (vs Larry Brown's SMU):

20 minutes, 13 points (4-8 FG, 5-7 FT) & 9 rebounds. So far averaging 13.5 PPG & 8.5 RPG in 20 MPG coming off the bench.

[Rappid]

Very interesting kid imo. I’m sure his draft stock will be climbing up quickly.

Crafty, active, mobile, good all-around feel for the game. Also experienced beyond his years, which is why I think he will make much more impact this year than it was expected.

Right now the biggest knock on him is that his average athleticism really limits his defensive upside, but imo if he improves his strength, he can stand his own defensively. Red a few reports where they say his frame is limited, but from a quick glance he doesn't look frail at all. Can‘t really expect a freshman big to look like Nene.

If he adds strength and gets consistent with that jumper I can see him as a lottery pick in the 2016 draft. Bold prediction is top 10, but obviously a lot of things can happen. Will definitely be watching out for this kid.

[Jstock12]

Very interesting kid imo. I’m sure his draft stock will be climbing up quickly.

Crafty, active, mobile, good all-around feel for the game. Also experienced beyond his years, which is why I think he will make much more impact this year than it was expected.

Right now the biggest knock on him is that his average athleticism really limits his defensive upside, but imo if he improves his strength, he can stand his own defensively. Red a few reports where they say his frame is limited, but from a quick glance he doesn't look frail at all. Can‘t really expect a freshman big to look like Nene.

If he adds strength and gets consistent with that jumper I can see him as a lottery pick in the 2016 draft. Bold prediction is top 10, but obviously a lot of things can happen. Will definitely be watching out for this kid.

He's never going to be a defensive monster simply because he lacks hops, length and explosiveness for that. BUT, he can become a very good team defender, because he's mobile and can quickly recover on rotations. I would argue that a big capable of doing that well might be worth more than a rim protector in the future looking at the way the NBA is going (perimeter, three-point oriented game). Also, a great defensive rebounder - has that Love/Z-Bo knack for the ball and therefore doesn't require athleticism to rebound the ball. Very good fundamentals too, going for those balls with two hands (sort of like Asik) instead of trying to tap it with one.

[Bad Guy]

Having one of the greatest centers as a mentor also helps a lot. He looks very promising and maybe in few years we will see him among top draft picks.

[Rappid]

He's never going to be a defensive monster simply because he lacks hops, length and explosiveness for that. BUT, he can become a very good team defender, because he's mobile and can quickly recover on rotations. I would argue that a big capable of doing that well might be worth more than a rim protector in the future looking at the way the NBA is going (perimeter, three-point oriented game). Also, a great defensive rebounder - has that Love/Z-Bo knack for the ball and therefore doesn't require athleticism to rebound the ball. Very good fundamentals too, going for those balls with two hands (sort of like Asik) instead of trying to tap it with one.

He's 6-10, so he's got an inch on Z-Bo and as tall as Love/Bosh/Horford. can't find anything about his wingspan, but he does not lack length Everything else I agree with, and the defense part is spot on. I can see him as a Chris Bosh defensive type (minus some of the athleticism). Not bulky but quick and long. Red in the Bulldogs page he played some really good D in the second game too, which is even more encouraging.

[Jstock12]

He's never going to be a defensive monster simply because he lacks hops, length and explosiveness for that. BUT, he can become a very good team defender, because he's mobile and can quickly recover on rotations. I would argue that a big capable of doing that well might be worth more than a rim protector in the future looking at the way the NBA is going (perimeter, three-point oriented game). Also, a great defensive rebounder - has that Love/Z-Bo knack for the ball and therefore doesn't require athleticism to rebound the ball. Very good fundamentals too, going for those balls with two hands (sort of like Asik) instead of trying to tap it with one.

He's 6-10, so he's got an inch on Z-Bo and as tall as Love/Bosh/Horford. can't find anything about his wingspan, but he does not lack length Everything else I agree with, and the defense part is spot on. I can see him as a Chris Bosh defensive type (minus some of the athleticism). Not bulky but quick and long. Red in the Bulldogs page he played some really good D in the second game too, which is even more encouraging.

He has good height for a PF position, but from the looks of it he only has an average wingspan (my estimated guess is around 6'11"-7'0" which is nothing to write home about) and more importantly very low shoulders so I really doubt his standing reach is over 9'0". Z-Bo on the other hand has very long arms and I bet his overall reach is better than Sabonis'.

[ILikeRaptors]

Man.. That dunk is so Sabonesque... Is this even a word? It should be..

Anyways, his frame always looked kinda weird to me, looks like shoulders are not really wide. He is still only 18 though, kid could still gain an inch in length department.

When I watch him handle the ball he reminds me of his father so much. Where he would stand facing his own basket and hold the ball in one hand faking possible passes and could just put the ball where it needs to be put, with the flow. That fluidity and IQ... These are the things that made his father so special to me.

I really have high expectations for him. Higher then I had with JV and D-Mo. He hasn't been dominating U-xx national teams so much like JV did, but JV had physical advantage in that age and he looked like he was playing with kids running around him, so I'm not worried about it. In my mind he has more potential than JV had just because of his superior Bball IQ.

[Jstock12]

Man.. That dunk is so Sabonesque... Is this even a word? It should be..

Anyways, his frame always looked kinda weird to me, looks like shoulders are not really wide. He is still only 18 though, kid could still gain an inch in length department.

When I watch him handle the ball he reminds me of his father so much. Where he would stand facing his own basket and hold the ball in one hand faking possible passes and could just put the ball where it needs to be put, with the flow. That fluidity and IQ... These are the things that made his father so special to me.

I really have high expectations for him. Higher then I had with JV and D-Mo. He hasn't been dominating U-xx national teams so much like JV did, but JV had physical advantage in that age and he looked like he was playing with kids running around him, so I'm not worried about it. In my mind he has more potential than JV had just because of his superior Bball IQ.

I do agree with your statement that he moves/acts a lot like his father used to.

I disagree about him having higher potential than JV though. While Sabonis' game is more versatile and probably more fun to watch for most people, Jonas had (and still has) great potential to be one of the top players in the NBA. While Raptors botched JV's development a bit by forcing him to bulk up, that doesn't deny him having a very high ceiling. Domantas' ceiling isn't nearly as high in my opinion, BUT he might just have a higher floor - he's not as likely to become a bust, simply because he can impact the game in a lot of ways.

[Jstock12]

This is getting really impressive. Third game vs St Joe's:

19 minutes, 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist. The guy is averaging something like 22ppg/20rpg PER40.

[1hit1team]

This is getting really impressive. Third game vs St Joe's:

19 minutes, 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist. The guy is averaging something like 22ppg/20rpg PER40.

per 40

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/pla ... nis-1.html

25.1/19 4 to aswell

[TKainZero]

definatly will keep an eye on him...

I was disappointed to see the Youngest Gasol not do anything at UCLA

[Jstock12]

definatly will keep an eye on him...

I was disappointed to see the Youngest Gasol not do anything at UCLA

FWIW, Domantas has two older brothers who didn't amount for much on basketball court, he on the other hand seems to have inherited every piece of that talent for the game.

BTW, 4th game statline (vs St Thomas Aquinas):

19 minutes, 19 points (8-8 FG, 3-4 FT), 2 rebounds (quiet rebounding night), 1 steal

[TheKingofSting]

His father was one of my favorite players so I will be keeping an eye on him.

[jinxed]

Around top ten in NCAA's in WS/48 and PER so far.