The time for Domantas Sabonis to start is coming, but the Pacers must proceed cautiously

There will be a time and place for Domantas Sabonis to start for the Indiana Pacers, but it isn’t a decision that needs rushing.

The chatter around starting Domantas Sabonis only grows louder by the day. The limited stats (hello sample size theater) at our disposal say the starters are better with him in there — and not Myles Turner.

But Domas doesn’t hear any of this.

“I don’t pay attention to the noise,” Sabonis said in a phone interview after practice on Thursday. “I know what I’m capable of and I’m just taking advantage of the opportunities I have.”

A diplomatic response, but he sounded sincere. Whether it is the expectations for him coming into the season or his current place in the team’s hierarchy, Sabonis is focused on basketball.

Of course, he wants to start, but he also knows it isn’t as simple as inserting him into the starting lineup over Turner or Thaddeus Young. At least to the media, he isn’t advocating for himself just yet.

“It’s been great so far here. I’m just thankful that the Pacers want to grow me (as a player) and I’m having fun,” Sabonis said.

We’ve joked about Indiana’s “We grow basketball here” slogan, but Sabonis’ game has flourished in Indiana’s soil. Growth between the rookie and sophomore seasons is expected, but Sabonis simply fits into his role better with the Pacers as it allows him to play more naturally.

A season ago he was shooting 39.9% as an out-of-place power forward. Playing center with the Pacers he’s nearly averaging a double-double: 13.2 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. Oh, and that shooting percentage? Now one of the league’s best at 60.3%.

And that’s exactly why the Pacers shouldn’t be in a rush to move him into the starting lineup. Right now he’s fitting into his role perfectly as the reserve center.

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It isn’t even that he isn’t deserving — that’s not the issue. But if he becomes a starter then you’re going to have to move somebody. The ‘obvious’ candidate is Thaddeus Young as he is an older, tradable, power forward. The more ambitious idea is to move Myles out of the way, but that seems extremely unlikely.

The case for starting Domas over Myles hinges on how well the starters played with Sabonis. Just looking at the numbers, Domas is the clear winner. The team plays better with Sabonis on the floor, period. Sabonis shows he learned a thing or two from his father Arvydas Sabonis as he sets hard picks and slides into open space like a seasoned pro. Derek Kramer of iPacers has a long list of how he makes his teammates better, but the general idea is he knows where to be and where his teammates are going.

But it seems as if we’ve forgotten how Turner was injured and that he is clearly not playing like himself. He is shooting well below his career average. The assumption that this is the ‘real’ Myles Turner and thus should take a seat to Domas overlooks that Myles isn’t comfortable right now.

Some of that may come from him being out of sorts after coming back from a concussion that sidelined him for seven games, but the Pacers are using him differently than before. It is worth noting that he is shooting more from mid-range than ever. Indiana is also positing him up more this season as well but that hasn’t resulted in him getting closer to the basket when you look at the totality of where his shots are coming.

The second option is putting Sabonis in over Young, but in the limited time we’ve seen Turner and Sabonis share the floor, the team’s defense suffered. Young often is the glue that holds Indiana together and taking him off the floor means you have two bigs that aren’t overly adept at covering smaller, faster players.

Even if either option works out now on the court, second and third order effects are the biggest problem.

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If you bench Thad, then you now have 15.9% of your cap space coming off the bench. That in itself isn’t the issue as much as you now have de-valued him as a trade asset. Any negotiation with another team will include that. You don’t have to be Sun Tzu to know giving your opponent an advantage is foolish. If you plan on trading Young, you better make sure you get every bit of value out of him at that comes from keeping him in the starting lineup.

I prefer a Pacers future with Thaddeus Young. He provides leadership and is the voice of experience for this young Indiana roster. Eventually, he will be a reserve, but I don’t believe that’s his role yet. Even if he isn’t in Kevin Pritchard’s plans, it behooves the Pacers to keep him in as a starter.

Turner and Young are great teammates, but you can’t blame them if they wouldn’t be happy with losing their starting job. And what if either option doesn’t work out? It isn’t as simple as giving Turner or Young their starting job back. They’re going to question what the plan is for them if their coach and organization trust them. If Sabonis gets sent back to the bench, that might affect his psychology as well.

Those potential chemistry issues aren’t a reason not to move Sabonis into the starting lineup, but if there isn’t a real plan beyond “Domas is good, so he should start” then there isn’t a plan. The Pacers have a good problem in having three bigs who deserve time, and a problem that eventually will sort itself out.

Turner is still very much the Pacers future. His potential is still sky-high. The Pacers aren’t going to — nor should they — alter their plans after fewer than two dozen games.

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Domantas Sabonis will start when his time comes. He is ready for it now, but the Indiana Pacers need to position their pieces on the board carefully to ensure what’s best for them. Sun Tzu wrote “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” The Pacers are wise to heed that advice as they plan for a future with Sabonis.