Most of the second generation of stars in the alliance do not have the average level of their fathers. Because the conditions are different and the talents are not the same, many children of star players do not have the style of their parents after coming to the league. This is a very normal thing, so for these second generation of stars, many fans are actually skeptical. If there's hype in the league, just have fun. But one player is different, his father is a myth in European basketball and a symbol in the league. He was the son of the elder Sabonis, the younger Sabonis.
Old Sabonis may not be known to many people, so tell everyone that there was a rumor in the league at that time, saying that if the old Sabonis entered the league earlier, instead of being stuck by the state, the pattern of the alliance may change dramatically in that period. Even many veteran players, including Yao Ming, believe that the old Sabonis is a super player with the ability to change the team's pattern. Therefore, everyone wants to know whether little Sabonis has inherited the advantages of his father.
In fact, Sa's origin is not low, he was selected by the Thunder, and then traded to the Pacers. As we all know, thunder management has always been very good at selecting people, but it will not cultivate people. So although Sabonis has a good performance opportunity in the Thunder, his positioning is not very accurate. Sabonis had the chance to start, but the team positioned him as a space type number four. Fans who have seen Sa's performance in the Pacers should know that Sa is an interior cornerstone type player, is it a bit wrong to be a spatial type four?
This has a lot to do with the thunder's historical situation at that time. At that time, the Thunder's main force Durant left to join the Warriors, so only Westbrook remained. Thunder management needs to give Westbrook a higher tactical position, guarantee his influence in Russia City, and contrast with Durant. In this case, all the tactics revolve around Wei Shao. Wei Shao's playing style is originally a big opening, and he needs to have teammates empty the area for him. So for Sabonis, who has just entered the league, becoming a space type four is the best choice.
It's just that Sa's talent doesn't lie in this, and in the first year of the Thunder, his shooting percentage is not at all average. He averaged only 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1 assist per game, shooting 39.9% from the field and 32.1% from three-point range. For a team that desperately needs to prove itself, this is certainly an unqualified result. So, Sam was packed up as a head-to-head trader to the Walkers. It is also because of this transaction that Xiao Sa found his own value.
The Pacers' management saw at a glance the true level of Sas, who had already made a name for himself at the time, so the Pacers' management wanted Sabonis to be a player like Jokic. Sabonis' offensive zone came straight to the basket from medium to long range, and his positioning shifted from a space-type number four to a reasonable inside mid-axis. So in the pacers' first year, Sabonis' data began to change significantly.
The average playing time per game increased by 4.4 minutes, and the scoring efficiency increased by 23.8%. Since then, Sabonis' offensive and rebounding counts have been soaring, and in the 19-20 season, Sabonis's three basic statistics are 18.5 + 12.4 + 5, which is already an All-Star performance. It wasn't until this time that most fans realized that this was a hidden gem. He is likely to become an incomplete version of Jokic.
But after so many seasons, Sabonis has also been traded by the team, and there are still no outstanding results, and many people have begun to wonder if Sabonis's ability is only a short-lived one. The data seen before is already the ceiling of players of this level, and there is no way to improve it? To study this problem, you need to start with Sabonis's style of play. Sabonis is a player who needs resources to support him, and without the right team environment, he can't play the right results, which is an iron law.
Unlike his father, Sabonis Jr. did not inherit a good passing ability. Many people say that Sabonis now averages 6.8 assists per game, which is already very good for an interior player. But if you watch the game, you know that Sabonis's data is actually a one-on-one tactic. His ability to pass the ball did not reflect the same spirituality and imagination as his father. Players of this level like the three-ball, the balls passed out are very bold, and the arc is also very exaggerated. Sabonis clearly doesn't have that level. Depending on the specific tactics given by the team, he can complete assists. But apart from tactics, Sabonis's actual play was very seriously affected.
Many times, Sabonis completes the handover by hand, and the high position should be the simplest form of these so-called big men as a transit. So does Sabonis! He can't control the big picture like Green, nor can he predict the position of opponents and teammates in advance like Jokic. Every time as a transit, it is a response to the high position and teammates. This limits the possibility of the team's tactical system, and also makes the tactics dominated by Sabonis too single and easy to be recognized by opponents.
Moreover, the existence of Xiao Sa is a paradoxical question. His ability to protect the frame is very poor, and he needs to have Turner help him. This is equivalent to the team to have two interior towers, one responsible for conduction, one responsible for defense, and the space ability is greatly limited. Based on this principle, the management did not dare to directly let Xiao Sa take charge of the singles project, and when he encountered a big center, Xiao Sa was easily eaten by his opponent. This is also why in many decisive moments, the team needs to consider only one inside player is an important reason, space is too important, and the Pacers for this piece, almost to the point of extreme scarcity.
This can also be proved through the data, only when Sa, the team's 100 rounds plus-minus is -1.3, when two big men are on the field at the same time, the team's plus-minus is -2.5, obviously this has not seen a significant improvement, the existence of both is limiting each other. This leads to the inevitability of the deal, and the Pacers cannot always let it go.
Back to our subject, you say that Sabonis has no level of reality, and I think there is. It's just that he needs a more suitable team, perhaps a more mobile wing team, to inspire Sam's actual level. However, his level is also like this.