Indiana Pacers: 3 goals for Domantas Sabonis next season
By Luke Parrish
A third-straight All-Star appearance for Domantas Sabonis
After sneaking into the All-Star Game a season ago and even taking home the trophy in the Skills Challenge, Sabonis has started to emerge as a reliable option. Indiana has had its All-Star leaders in the past who have given fans hope, from Paul George to Reggie Miller, and Sabonis is aiming to be the next.
It is difficult for bigs to get that sort of recognition since they are not typically the highlight reel kind of players. Even Nikola Jokic, who won MVP last season, has dealt with constant criticism from the media since winning the award.
Sabonis is not the flashiest player in the world, nor is he an uber-athletic seven-footer who can provide absurd slams in transition. I think that had a big role in his original absence from the All-Star team last season but he made his case that weekend.
The Pacers are not going to win many games by relying on just Sabonis so that once again hurts his case. They tend to play as a unit and play off of each other, which is totally fine, but it does not do the individual players any favors when the accolades come into play.
Getting Sabonis back to the All-Star Game would be a huge step in proving his value to the team and his reputation in the NBA.