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Sabonis is fifth in the league in touches and he averages 18.5 PPG. I dunno about you, but that seems... Low?
It's clear that while Sabonis is a good player who offers some very good skills (good post player, good screener, decent passer), his best fit isn't with the starting lineup.
And it's not that Warren was playing poorly with a majority of minutes at the 3, but small ball has let him thrive in a way they weren't force feeding Domas.
For reference, pre-All-Star break, Sabonis averaged 87.1 touches per game, good for sixth in the league. Warren averaged 42.1, the same number as Thad, and fewer than TJ McConnell.
Post all-star break, Sabonis is third in the league in touches per game at 92.8 (!!!!!) compared to Warren at 50.2, FEWER than Thad post all-star break.
(in case anyone searches for Daddeus Young and finds this thread, I am a huge fan and am just using him for reference because of how good Thad is off-ball).
And that's not even the worst of it. TJs career best, league-leading 35 PPG in the bubble, is on 58.2 touches per game. He's still not even near the level of touches Sabonis was getting.
So don't show me their PPG and scream "bAlAnCe." Warren matched Sabonis's scoring on half the touches pre-bubble, and is scoring double that with barely an uptick in touches.
Plus, when you actually watch the games, it's clear the small ball lineup is really good. With 4 wing players starting who can all get buckets and are all willing to share the ball, the ball keeps moving. So much less P&R and more ball movement.
Pair that with a center who can shoot the 3 and doesn't need the ball in his hands, and the wide open offense is turning out great results so far.
I think McDermott and Justin suffer most without Sabonis, as his screens are so good at freeing them up for shots. They could just be cold, but I really think Sabonis helps them a lot.
This is why I think Sabonis should still get his minutes when he's healthy, but he should come off the bench. His need for the ball will be much better not immediately needing to take touches away from the starting wings, while also better setting up Doug and Justin.
I do have faith that Myles and Domas can play together, but I think that there's more both guys have to do to make it work. But this isn't about Myles so I'm not going on that tangent. Big lineup still has some issues to work out, let's leave it at that.
But the small lineup is more flowing, unselfish, modern basketball. Warren being on an unprecedented hot streak isn't ALL on Sabonis, but I think his absence has certainly modernized the offense and with good results.
I really want to keep Domas, but I think that the small lineup is something that needs to be the default going forward. If Sabonis can be a better off-ball player and better 3-point shooter I think he'll also thrive in small ball.
But as it stands right now, he's sucking up touches that's pulled the offense back to 1995. The small ball Pacers' leader in touches is Brogdon, and it's amazing to see the flow when he's the primary playmaker.
That's the kind of balance I like to see. The ball is moving, players are attacking the defense, and the offense just looks better. I really to see this small lineup and this kind of unselfish basketball when fully healthy. It can be great.
TL;DR small ball good, force feeding the post 100 times per game is okay, but not as good.
