Domantas Sabonis recently shared his thoughts on some key aspects of the Indiana Pacers’ offseason and how he feels about being in Indianapolis long-term.
Yesterday, Indiana Pacers‘ center-turned-forward Domantas Sabonis was interviewed by fellow Lithuanian native Donatas Urbonas, a basketball journalist that closely follows the hoopers from his country. Urbonas was able to share some insight from this discussion, which is much appreciated given that Indianapolis-area media doesn’t often have great access to Sabonis during the summer while he’s working with his national team in Europe.
First on the docket was finding out how Domantas felt about the Indiana Pacers acquiring another center with their first round draft selection of Goga Bitadze. Sabonis was candid in his response:
Sabonis on his reaction when Pacers drafted Bitadze: “Another Center?! I was shocked at first. But I get it. Me & Myles need a back up & Bitadze is a great player. I talked with him after the draft. He is a hard worker & Pacers will make him better. We needed player like him.“
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) August 7, 2019
It’s funny, because it looks like Domantas was just as confused initially as the rest of us when the Pacers opted to bring Goga to town. However, it’s encouraging to see that he began to warm to this selection the more he thought about it.
And for what it’s worth, he’s right in his thought that the Indiana Pacers needed a player like Goga Bitadze. On paper, it might not have seemed like this was the case with Domantas and Myles Turner both being on the roster, but with these two guys sharing the court in the starting lineup, it makes sense that Indy would draft a backup center since that position was open.
It was also reassuring to see that Domantas is feeling good about his experimental pairing with Myles in the frontcourt this coming season.
Sabonis on his pairing with Turner: "We know it can work. I think we were good fit last season. We just need more time. Not only few minutes per game, but whole season or at least half of it. There gonna be better & worse games, but we need trust & everything will be fine."
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) August 7, 2019
Next, we got some insight into how Sabonis is feeling about his future in Indianapolis long-term. When asked about a possible extension with the Pacers, Domantas had this to say:
Domantas Sabonis told he expects to sign an extension with Indiana Pacers this offseason, but he remains patient: „Like my dad said: "You did your job. You did your best and now you just have to wait". Now I can't do anything. I just need to be patient and wait.“
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) August 7, 2019
If you’re a fan of the potential of a Turner/Sabonis pairing, this is great new for you. It’s fairly safe to assume that Domantas wanting and expecting to sign a contract extension with the Pacers this summer means he truly wants to commit to the organization for the foreseeable future. It’s always good to have players on your roster that actually want to be a part of your team, so this is an encouraging development.
On the other hand, if you’re in the camp that believes the team will ultimately need to decide between Turner and Sabonis, extending Domas this summer makes things more complicated. His contract then turns into a “poison pill,” essentially making him un-tradeable until next summer.
Regardless, Domantas is an awesome, rising player, and having him committed to your team long-term is a very good thing.
Finally, Sabonis touched on his feelings about the offseason in general and what his outlook is for 2019-2020.
Sabonis on Pacers roster changes: „Sadly many good friends of mine left Indiana, but this is how NBA works. However, we gonna have very good team this year. We signed good players & it's in our hands. We need to start the season strongly to be ready when Vic will come back“
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) August 7, 2019
Domantas Sabonis is right. The Indiana Pacers still have a lot to be excited about this coming season despite all the roster turnover. Keeping their heads above water till Victor Oladipo returns will be a challenge, but this team always seems to rise to the challenge year in and year out. If Sabonis does indeed opt to stick around Indianapolis a while longer, the Pacers will have a great core to build around for sustained competitiveness into the future.