Physicality is a state of mind for Domantas Sabonis

Domantas Sabonis plays bigger than his 6’10, 252-pound frame. It’s just part of who he is, and why he is breaking out with the Indiana Pacers.

Small is a relative term in the NBA and even a player standing 6’10 can seem undersized or just not as towering in comparison to his peers. Domantas Sabonis and his 252-pound frame fit that bill, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing as if he’s more solidly built.

That’s no surprise to Travis Knight, the Lithuanian center’s former strength and conditioning coach at Gonzaga.

Playing physical is just a state of mind. It’s less about sheer size and more about the mental approach.

This is why we preach physicality is a mentality not a physique. https://t.co/AgJF3n8OI1
— Coach Knight (@ZagGreatness) January 4, 2018

His coaches at Gonzaga drove the message home, but Sabonis’ pedigree meant the idea was already ingrained in him. One of his former coaches said as much in a quote from James Herbert of CBS Sports’ excellent write-up on the Lithuanian.

"“He’s always had it,” Lloyd said. “And we kind of call it the Lithuanian fighting spirit. Basketball is such a part of their culture, and they play the game, they approach it with emotion. It’s more than just a game to them. He has this amazing balance of being very nice and polite off the floor, but on the floor he’s got a real mean, nasty streak to him. It’s kind of a brilliant combination.”"

And that pedigree doesn’t just show up in his toughness. It’s part of the reason his basketball IQ was one of the first things I noticed once the season began.

In Herbert’s piece, another thing his college coaches mentioned was teaching him to control his anger and aggression on the court, to turn in into something positive. That’s hardly been an issue with the Pacers, but there are still a few things that need work as far as utilizing as a tool in his game.

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Sabonis is currently 5th in the league in offensive fouls, which is pretty impressive considering he isn’t a starter. The aggressiveness is part of him playing big but is still something that needs cleaned up going forward.

But much like the way rookie point guards often turn the ball over as they learn the ways of the NBA, Sabonis can adjust that aggression and turn it into a blunt tool for bludgeoning his opponents.

This wasn’t something we saw with him last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. They placed Sabonis beyond the arc as a 3-point shooter and power forward. It wasn’t his job to go into the frey. In Indiana, however, that’s exactly what is expected from him.

Sabonis’ aggression stands in stark contrast to Myles Turner’s game. While Turner doesn’t hesitate to block shots and protect the rim, his pick and pop game leaves him away from the basket and the rough and tumble area around the rim. On top of the X’s and O’s reasons, Sabonis is just more aggressive than Turner, and that’s one reason why he grabs more rebounds.

He just doesn’t let anyone get is his way as we saw against the Utah Jazz last week.

The hope of the Pacers is that eventually, they can deploy them together effectively. Turner as the shooter, Domas as the pick-setting big that also can fight for rebounds in the pair. Until Myles gets healthy, though, the center position belongs to Sabonis.

While Turner’s return is expected soon, Sabonis stepped up (once again) as the starting center. As a starter over the last eight games, he’s averaging 11.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and more importantly, the starting lineup is posting a 15.8 net rating.

Until then, Sabonis can keep his aggression focused, and bring that ‘Lithuanian fighting spirit’ to the Indiana Pacers frontcourt.

Next: The Pacers 3-point shooting conundrum

And at just 21-years-old, he is still growing into his body. A few years down the road he may be build more solidly than he is now, but he’ll still have the mindset that let’s him play bigger now.