Indiana Pacers: Team Awards 2019-2020

MVP – Domantas Sabonis

I think this is a very obvious choice for the Most Valuable Player for the Indiana Pacers this year. Domantas Sabonis finished the season with averages of 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on .540/.254/.723 shooting splits earning himself a spot on the All-Star team. The numbers he finished with are fantastic, but his impact goes way beyond the stat sheet, and that showed when he missed out on playing in the playoffs.

Although Sabonis was inserted into the starting lineup this year, he was the main reason for the bench success this year. Having shooters around Domantas really shows his overall impact on the game, he can get them open on and off the ball with his fantastic screening ability, his high-level passing ability for a big man allows him to find cutting teammates or teammates getting open from the perimeter, and lastly, with his great average of 12.4 rebounds per game he finds shooters or cutters right after getting the ball off the glass.

That being said I’m not saying he only had success with the bench unit. In the beginning stages of the season it seemed like the duo of Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon was going to pick and roll themselves both into All-Star selections. He was also a great fit alongside T.J. Warren and Jeremy Lamb getting them open to do what they do best, score the rock.

MVP Runner-Up – T.J. Warren