Hey, that Domas Sabonis kid is pretty good: 3 things it means for the Indiana Pacers

Domantas Sabonis can rebound

For two seasons Indiana saw a lot of their missed shots wind up in the hands of someone wearing the wrong color uniform. The Pacers were out-rebounded five times during the first seven games in each of the previous two seasons. It also looks bad when you add up the net rebounding, Indiana posted a deficiency both years (-17 in 2016-17 and -37 in ’15-’16.)

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That’s not the case this year. Indiana is a net positive (+6) on the glass. They’ve out-rebounded Brooklyn, Minnesota, and Sacramento drew even with Miami and San Antonio, and were out-rebounded twice by Portland and Oklahoma City.

The main culprit for this turnaround Domantas Sabonis.

While Turner grabbed 14 rebounds in the season opener, Sabonis is the one who has an actual average in double-figures. A shockingly rare accomplishment for the Pacers, who haven’t had a player finish with over ten rebounds-per-game since Troy Murphy (10.2) did it in 2009-10.

And Sabonis’ average doesn’t give him the credit he’s due. Over the last five games he hasn’t snagged less than 11 rebounds in any game. He posted a season high, 16, against the Kings. What’s better for the Pacers is that those 62 rebounds of Sabonis, while a lot, is only 28 percent of the Pacers total. He’s not the only one attacking the glass. No doubt spurned forward by Sabonis, the team is rebounding better, or at least with more consistency.

Over the previous two seasons, Indiana’s could have a great rebounding night, but they could also have a dreadful one. Again, just looking at the first seven games here: Last year Indy collectively grabbed 52 rebounds twice, but grabbed under 36 three times. It was similar the year before when the Pacers swiped 53 against Boston, but also posted a 38 game and a 34 game.

Indiana just posted their first 50+ rebound game against Sacramento, and they also haven’t really bombed one either. They only once barely dipped below 40 with 39 against Portland.

The Pacers can count on not getting crushed on the glass and, generally speaking, the more competitive you are rebounding, the more competitive you are in games overall. Furthermore, it’s easier to be competitive on the glass when you have a player you can pencil in for grabbing nearly a dozen boards every night.

This should be a trend that will continue when Turner returns from his concussion. The difference is that Indiana will then have an improving rebounder as a starter (Turner) and in the second unit (Sabonis), and sometimes both. It should be rare for Indy to have a five-man unit on the floor without somebody who can clear the glass. Not every team can say that.