NBA Draft 2016: Scouting Report - Domantas Sabonis

The apple never falls far from the tree. In our case we speak about Damontas Sabonis, Damontas is following his legendary father steps as a basketball player and he is pretty good. 

Name: Damontas Sabonis

Born: 1995

Position: PF/C

Height: 6'10

*Season stats: MPG:31.9, PER:29.3, PPG:17.6, RPG:11.8, APG:1.8
University: Gonzaga 

Athleticism: Sabonis is not a prototype athlete, he stands at 6'10 with a wingspan of 6'10"5, as you understand he does not possess an ideal length. Additional to that, Sabonis is not the most explosive player or a high flyer. Domantas Sabonis is generally an average athlete, he is able to run the floor in an acceptable level but nothing that will amaze you. But, Sabonis is not a "soft" kid, the opposite I would say, you will be impressed how much energy he brings on the floor and the tension he plays. 

Offensively, Sabonis has a feeling of the basket and he knows how to score near the post. Sabonis always position himself in an excellent position and knows how to ask for the ball,very patient in the post, all these makes him very efficient near the rim, Sabonis has soft hands (especially the left) and nice footwork, he loves to turn right. He shot with 71% in the rim with 50% of the shots to be assisted. 
As far as it concerns his range, we haven't seen so much of it, just the mid range one. Sabonis shooting technique and release are nice and there is a lot of potential. Especially his mid-range jumper looks solid, there are many questions out there regarding that, but in my eyes I have no worries about his jumpers.  
In the other hand the 3-pointers are a different story, Sabonis just took fourteen 3-pointers and made five of them. I strongly believe that he has the potential to stretch the floor and become a decent 3-point shooter. Technique is there and sooner or later it should convert that into the games. 
Another aspect of his offensive game is his rebounding and his putbacks, 10% of his shots are after a putback. 
Also Sabonis shot with 77% from the free throw line, an excellent number. 
A flow in his game is the screen, he really needs to improve as a screener, the way he goes for the screen and the way he sets his body. 
Last but not least, Sabonis has a nice vision, he averaged 1.8 assists per game, but still there are flaws when he is passing the ball, not sure if he will even be as good passer as Marc Gasol or Noah but the potential is there. Above the average passer for a big man. 

Defensively, Sabonis lacks the athleticism and length and he looks like a soft kid, but the last thing Sabonis is, is soft. He always gives everything on the floor, he plays with heart and a sparkle in his eyes. The problem relies on his legs, it will not be easy at all for him, especially when Sabonis will have to guard more dynamic athletes outside of the rim or stronger than him near the rim. Sabonis should improve his frame and his lateral speed (not so bad as you may think) in order to be a reliability in the defensive end. 
Moreover Sabonis will not be a rim protector, he is a totally different player than that. He averaged just 0.9 blocks per game. 
We have to mention that he is a very good rebounder, Sabonis averaged 11.8 RPG, an excellent number.

Overall Domantas Sabonis is an interesting project who landed in one of the best places he could, especially If Kevin Durant stays in OKC. Sabonis can score, his basketball IQ is high and gives everything he has on the floor. I am really curious to see how the OKC will work him, as a C or PF? 

Hope you enjoyed the report and looking forward to your comments.

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*MPG: Minutes per game, PPG: Points per game, RPG: Rebounds per game, PER: Player efficient rate, APG: Assist per game, FG: Field goals.