Sabonis as a Starter?

[boomershadow]

I sort of see this as the obvious future for the Pacers, but with Turner at the 5 and with Sabonis looking so good as a backup 5 so far this preseason there could be some overlap in their skillsets. Sabonis seems to be doing a great job rebounding, and if we move him out towards the perimeter more to guard perimeter 4s and to spread the floor it could hinder that skill some. Even so, the prospect of two bigs on the floor who can shoot and are fairly mobile for their size is pretty enticing. I think it's what our future looks like.

I don't think it's time to say goodbye to Thad Young just yet though. With Sabonis getting minutes at the backup 5 and with Leaf not looking ready for a full time role against NBA starters just yet, I think it's premature to say we should part with Young even if he may not be in our long term plans.

Q. Mark, do you foresee Sabonis entering the starting lineup at some point this season to play along with Turner? If so, do you think Turner could handle the "four" spot on the defensive end?

-Anthony

A. Sabonis is a starting caliber player. Oklahoma City thought so even last season, when he started 66 games of the 81 games in which he played as a rookie. He's obviously improved this season, and capable of starting for the Pacers.

However, I don't know that he's a better player than Thad Young, whom I consider underrated. He's also more versatile than Young, and just 21 years old.

by Mark Montieth
more in depth answer and other questions at
http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/marks-mailbag-sabonis-starter

[Miller4ever]

It's okay to say goodbye to Thad. I love Thad, and he deserves better than us. If you love somebody, set them free.

Also, it helps us lose, so I'm all for that.

Sabonis is great. The thing about him that's underrated is that he makes no mistakes. He is always in the right place at the right time putting the right kind of effort in. His rate of improvement is impressive. He was so bad last year, and he probably won't be great this year, but eventually it's not out of the question for us to have Domas starting next to Myles. I don't see a problematic amount of overlap there. The versatility of both creates so many matchup problems for opposing defenses. On defense, the size is a big plus while the mobility isn't really a gaping issue with either of them.

[pacers70]

I think Sabonis will start by the end of the season, but in order for that to happen we will need to find a back up Center. I look for some kind of deal to be made by the trade dead line.

TYoung won't be traded this season. If he opts in next summer though, I look for him to be dealt.

[basketballwacko2]

It's okay to say goodbye to Thad. I love Thad, and he deserves better than us. If you love somebody, set them free.

Also, it helps us lose, so I'm all for that.

Sabonis is great. The thing about him that's underrated is that he makes no mistakes. He is always in the right place at the right time putting the right kind of effort in. His rate of improvement is impressive. He was so bad last year, and he probably won't be great this year, but eventually it's not out of the question for us to have Domas starting next to Myles. I don't see a problematic amount of overlap there. The versatility of both creates so many matchup problems for opposing defenses. On defense, the size is a big plus while the mobility isn't really a gaping issue with either of them.

I can see the pacers trading Thad midseason some team is gonna have injuries and want a replacement.

One idea that was going through my mind was Thad to Washington for Ian Mahinmi and a 2018 #1 pick. We're not getting any big time FA's next season and there's plenty of cap space.

[cruwinas]

It's okay to say goodbye to Thad. I love Thad, and he deserves better than us. If you love somebody, set them free.

Also, it helps us lose, so I'm all for that.

Sabonis is great. The thing about him that's underrated is that he makes no mistakes. He is always in the right place at the right time putting the right kind of effort in. His rate of improvement is impressive. He was so bad last year, and he probably won't be great this year, but eventually it's not out of the question for us to have Domas starting next to Myles. I don't see a problematic amount of overlap there. The versatility of both creates so many matchup problems for opposing defenses. On defense, the size is a big plus while the mobility isn't really a gaping issue with either of them.

I watched him playing for Gonzaga. He is a very smart player, sees very well what will happen next on the floor.

And yes, he is a starter. Maybe not right now for Pacers, but in the near future - for sure. He is a very versatile 4.

[grewich]

With gr3 sidelined. Move Thad to the three, start Sabonis, and bring Bojan off the bench (hope he can knock down shots). That’d be a better defensive unit.

[winter_mute_13]

Montieth says that Thad may have trouble defending some 3's, but has he seen Bojan? He can't defend anyone at all. I think that among the starters, Thad will be the one defending the quicker opposing forward anyway, whether you call him a 3 or a 4. Would work similarly when Leaf is playing the "3".

As for Sabonis being a starter, that's how I hope it would work out long term. He can be both the starting 4 and the backup 5, IMO.

[basketballwacko2]

Thad has never been able to play 3. You could do it if you had to but he'd get abused on D.

[winter_mute_13]

^^ Thad defended LeBron pretty well in the playoffs last season. Granted, LeBron is practically a 4. But still, against an opponent's top SF, who would you rather defend him - Bojan, Dipo, or Thad? I'm guessing it will be Thad pretty often.

[boomershadow]

^^ Thad defended LeBron pretty well in the playoffs last season. Granted, LeBron is practically a 4. But still, against an opponent's top SF, who would you rather defend him - Bojan, Dipo, or Thad? I'm guessing it will be Thad pretty often.

Defensively, especially against the elite small forwards around the league, this team is not where I would like to see them at all. Sure there is a good rim protector in the middle, but Bojan's defense is the thing I currently like least about this group, and I wish Oladipo was a little bigger to be able to switch onto 3s.

An upgrade at small forward sometime this season by trade or next off season in free agency would be great.

[grewich]

The 3 position will be addressed come draft day...

[pacerized]

I'm going to have observe Sabonis for a while to see where I think he'll fit in. It would be great if he could be the right starting big beside Turner but I don't know yet. Turner is a keeper but IMO it's going to be tough to find the right big man to start next to him. We need a big man who can defend against strong post players more than anything and I don't think that will ever be Turner who is a horrible defender when you have an offensive big man who wants to make contact. Whiteside destroyed Turner last year and I would have been o.k. with that if Turner would have just seemed willing to take any kind of contact from him. One thing I do know is that Thad is the wrong player to pair with Turner, Thad should be paired with a player like Gorbert.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

The 3 position will be addressed come draft day...

Should have been addressed this past offseason. OG has a much higher ceiling than TJ Leaf.

But yea, I love the fit of Sabonis next to Turner much more than Thad.

[Major Cold]

Thad is a valuable vet presence. His slashing and the ability to guard SFs is needed. I could see Thad, Domas, and Myles playing together a bit against a frontcourt like Lebron, Love, Thompson.

[Pacers_Freak]

Thad is a valuable vet presence. His slashing and the ability to guard SFs is needed. I could see Thad, Domas, and Myles playing together a bit against a frontcourt like Lebron, Love, Thompson.

I understand where you were going with the analogy but LeBron is the one that makes that deal work.

[Major Cold]

Thad is a valuable vet presence. His slashing and the ability to guard SFs is needed. I could see Thad, Domas, and Myles playing together a bit against a frontcourt like Lebron, Love, Thompson.

I understand where you were going with the analogy but LeBron is the one that makes that deal work.

Ummm it isn't an analogy. Who is going to guard Lebron? Thad is. With even Bojan in the starting lineup, Thad is guarding Love.

[pizza guy]

It won't surprise me to see Thad get traded this season at the deadline. A deadline deal is likely to net more from a desperate team than Thad might've fetched in the off-season. In the meantime, Thad is a tremendous locker room guy and team leader for a young team. If we really surprise people and we're serious about making the playoffs, I would expect us to keep Thad. But if we're as bad as most people expect, then moving him mid-season makes sense, when his value will be high and after the young guys have had a chance to learn together while a solid vet has held the fort.

Sabonis and Turner is absolutely the future, IMO. I think they're both smart, versatile players that complement each other well in terms of strengths and weaknesses, and both of them being skilled and young is a perfect situation for them to really grow some chemistry and be a very strong duo for years to come. Domas isn't likely to be the star that Turner can be, but that's ok, he doesn't need to be. He can fit well next to Turner and help Myles to shine for years to come, and his worth will be shown. Getting him back for PG is a much bigger deal than people made it seem because I think he and Turner solidify the frontcourt for potentially the next 6-8 years.

[Pacers_Freak]

Thad is a valuable vet presence. His slashing and the ability to guard SFs is needed. I could see Thad, Domas, and Myles playing together a bit against a frontcourt like Lebron, Love, Thompson.

I understand where you were going with the analogy but LeBron is the one that makes that deal work.

Ummm it isn't an analogy. Who is going to guard Lebron? Thad is. With even Bojan in the starting lineup, Thad is guarding Love.

My bad. I misread. Thought you were comparing the 2 lineups. Carry on.

[Wizop]

playing Thad 12 minutes or so at 3 opens up minutes for Leaf at 4. if necessary, play zone defense.

[basketballwacko2]

^^ Thad defended LeBron pretty well in the playoffs last season. Granted, LeBron is practically a 4. But still, against an opponent's top SF, who would you rather defend him - Bojan, Dipo, or Thad? I'm guessing it will be Thad pretty often.

Really LBJ is more of a power forward now.