While the Indiana Pacers’ Domantas Sabonis never faced his father one-on-one, he matches up well with Arvydas Sabonis’ NBA statistics.
Beating your father in basketball is a special moment for any player but for Indiana Pacers center Domantas Sabonis, he never got the chance to take on his dad, Arvydas Sabonis, in a meaningful one-on-one game.
“By the time I was old enough to face him, he was too old and could barely move, so we never really could compare,” Sabonis said in an interview after practice earlier this month. “I was about 5’6 when he was playing.”
So unless you have a time machine, getting anything close to a fair matchup between Arvydas and Domas was impossible.
However, we can compare Domantas’ young career with Arvydas’ final professional seasons when he joined the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA. The elder Sabonis didn’t come over to the NBA until he was 31 years old, so we’ll also glance at his European stats as well for a fuller comparison of the two.
Considering Domas played in an unnatural role for his abilities last season, we’re going to look at his averages from this season. This version of Sabonis deserves minutes, whereas his rookie season did little to prove his worth as an NBA player.
In 19 games this season, Domas is averaging 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and shooting 55.8% from the field. Compare that to Arvydas’ 12 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 50% career shooting numbers, and some distance begins to emerge. Domas is a slightly better in most categories as he improved in his father’s numbers slightly as both a scorer and a rebounder.
So is the son already better than his father?
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Not quite. It is easy to forget that Arvydas didn’t come to the NBA until he was in his thirties, meaning his game was already in decline before he ever stepped foot on the court. In Europe — though against lesser competition — Father Sabonis averaged 20.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and shot 54.8% from the floor. He led the Spanish league in defensive rebounds from 1989 to 1995 and was in the top 10 in total rebounds during every season he played there.
While those numbers aren’t directly translatable to the NBA, they serve as a reminder that the Arvydas that played with the Trail Blazers wasn’t at his peak. Despite his age, he still was one of the better players in the NBA during that time as he was in the top 10 in rebounds, PER, and rebound percentage during some of his NBA seasons. He even got a vote for MVP in his “rookie” season.
So maybe it is fairer to look at his best season, that rookie season in 1995-96, and compare it to his son. When you do that, dear old dad gets the edge in points while closing the distance in other categories despite playing fewer minutes.
| Player | Season | Age | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arvydas Sabonis* | 1995-96 | 31 | 23.8 | 5.4 | 9.9 | .545 | 0.5 | 1.4 | .375 | .572 | .757 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 8.1 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 14.5 |
| Domantas Sabonis | 2017-18 | 21 | 25.5 | 4.7 | 8.5 | .556 | 0.3 | 0.6 | .455 | .571 | .768 | 2.7 | 6.1 | 8.8 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 12.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/30/2017.
Domas is still shooting better than Arvydas but dad’s ability to knock down 3-pointers more consistently gives him an edge in eFG%. They both grab nearly the same amount of rebounds while Arvydas blocks more shots and Domas hands out more assists.
However, a look at the advanced stats reveals Arvydas’ impact on the game was greater, especially on defense.
| Player | Season | Age | PER | TS% | ORB% | DRB% | TRB% | AST% | BLK% | USG% | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arvydas Sabonis* | 1995-96 | 31 | 24.7 | .617 | 9.7 | 28.8 | 19.3 | 13.8 | 3.4 | 25.5 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 5.6 | 3.3 |
| Domantas Sabonis | 2017-18 | 21 | 20.0 | .624 | 12.1 | 26.2 | 19.3 | 13.6 | 1.2 | 21.2 | 1.6 | -0.1 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/30/2017.
The advance numbers show where Arvydas’ veteran experience and talent made him such a valuable player for the Blazers. His overall offensive impact was greater despite the similarities in rebounds and assists with Domas. On the defensive end, however, the dad has the clear advantage over the son.
That’s expected. Domantas is still settling into his role in the NBA after a strange rookie season. He is nowhere near his peak. When you see Arvydas’ numbers, he was on the downward side of his peak, but that peak was pretty high.
So no, Domantas isn’t as good as his dad yet, but in his sophomore season, there is no reason to expect that. But even though he never really played his dad one-on-one, he certainly learned from him.
Domas already moves on the court as a more experienced player would. He finds the seams on pick and rolls and understands spacing better than most 21-year-olds. It helps when your dad was as good as Arvydas and he texts you advice after games.
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One day, Domas’ game might eclipse his father’s. Until then, Arvydas is still sitting at the head of the table in the Sabonis house.