For just the second time in the pre-draft process, the Toronto Raptors had a potential No. 9 pick in to BioSteel Centre for a workout on Monday, and it’s probably the most interesting name to walk through the doors yet.
Domantas Sabonis, the son of the legendary Arvydas Sabonis, was on-hand for an individual workout that followed an earlier six-man workout at the facility.
A sophomore out of Gonzaga, Sabonis isn’t necessarily expected to be a top-10 pick in the draft, nor is he expected to last until No. 27, but he’s firmly on the lottery radar. The Raptors are covering a wide range with their workouts, in part because of the uncertainty of whether they could move their picks, in part because it’s just good business to perform due diligence, and in part because the draft is pretty wide open after the first five or six names, meaning most prospects Toronto could look at with the No. 9 pick have wide draft ranges.
It’s a really tough draft to peg down, and with so few potential top-10 picks visiting Toronto (only Henry Ellenson’s been in and no more are presently expected this week), any bit of information helps. It’s worth keeping in mind that the list of players who work out for the team, now at 21 names, tells us something but not necessarily a great deal – it’s but one part of a lengthy process that includes scouting, film, the combine, off-site workouts, and far more. So, Sabonis coming in means something, but conclusions can’t be drawn from his presence.
Player Notes
Here’s the full list of players who attended the workout:
| Domantas Sabonis | Forward-Centre | 6-10 | Gonzaga |
Domantas Sabonis
Chad Ford Rank: 17, DraftExpress Rank: 17
Had Sabonis left Gonzaga a year ago, he likely would have been a late first-round pick. With another successful season in the books, he finds himself on the fringes of the lottery. And deservedly so – he took on a much larger role for the Bulldogs and wound up nearly doubling his scoring average, all while improving as a passer and flashing a bit of range out to the college 3-point line. He’s a high-energy, high-motor player who brings a ton to the table outside of his skill set, willingly banging for rebounds, giving plenty of effort on defense, and generally effecting the game in a variety of ways that suggest he could be a productive role player at the next level.
“Everything that you’ve seen with him in college and with the national team is that he’s got an incredible motor,” Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman said. “He wants to win, I think, over individual stats, which is a huge thing for the kind of culture we’re trying to build here. ”
That’s not to say he’s not skilled, too. He’s a terrific passer for a big man, for example, likely owing to his exceptional basketball IQ. When your father is perhaps the greatest passing big man of all time – or the greatest big man of all time, period – the way you see the game is going to be fundamentally different than how most others see it. That pedigree is what gets Sabonis name recognition, but the Raptors are also believers in its actual impact on the player.
Here’s Tolzman speaking on how the Raptors view the bonus of pedigree:
I think it’s a thing that people take for granted a lot. Kids, when they’re around the NBA game at a young age, and so often, you see kids just messing around after practice with their dad, or just being around the game. Like, Steph Curry was a ball boy for the Raptors way back when. Just being around that high level of basketball, it gets in there by osmosis. They eat, sleep, and breathe basketball, and I think Domantas is a type of guy like that. His dad is one of the greatest big men of all time, so the type of thing that he’s probably handing down to his son, just in conversations and learning the game through that way, those are things that regular people can’t get. It’s a part of skill development that, I don’t know how to say it, it’s something you can’t put a price on. He grew up with it. It’s something that I think other kids would kill for.
And again, those things maybe don’t materialize in specific ways on the court, but it’s tough not to watch Sabonis and come away impressed with his feel for the game. Knowing the right place to be, the angles to attack, the right play to make, all of those things are difficult to learn or even explain, and they’re things that Sabonis does well.
Unfortunately, the Raptors may have to rely mostly on scouting and film to get an up-close feel for those traits, as Sabonis wasn’t working out in many game situations. Because of the nature of the pre-draft process and the difficulty in getting players in, Sabonis was working out 1-on-0, essentially running through an individual practice. That has its drawbacks, but if the Raptors are comfortable with how he’s looked in games, there are benefits to this intimate setting that wouldn’t be present in a group session, too.
“It’s interesting, a lot of times, the 1-0 workouts are tougher than the six-man because a lot of it is stamina,” Tolzman said. “And a lot of times, you look at the things you don’t really get a chance to see him do in a competitive 3-on-3 setting. Like his ball-handling, you really get to break down the mechanics of his jump-shot, the way that he picks up drills and interacts with the coaches. It’s a different setting in that you’re not seeing much of the creativity and live-ball, the on-the-fly decision-making you do in a 3-on-3 setting, but you get to see a lot of the coachability, the different types of range with his shot. It’s definitely a different look, but it’s a pretty advantageous look.”
The shooting mechanics are maybe the most interesting note Tolzman made. Sabonis is listed as a forward-center, but without range, he may be tough to play alongside certain fives. He hit five triples as a sophomore but didn’t show great range consistently (he took just 45 shots from the mid-range and out, hitting an encouraging 22), and improving in that area could not only open up lineup options, but also Sabonis’ own face-up game, where he’s pretty savvy attacking one-on-one. That inside-outside approach would be a great balance, as while Sabonis is a little predictable going over his right shoulder (he’s a lefty), he shot 67 percent on post-ups, per DraftExpress.
More important than his own ceiling may be his potential fit, particularly if teams see a sub-7-foot wingpsan and deem him incapable of playing a smaller five. That means, for the Raptors, Sabonis may have to play alongside a traditional center in Jonas Valanciunas, at least if he’s to see expanded run. The Raptors, however, seem to be looking at Sabonis as more of a “basketball player” than a specific type of four or five, though the fit with Valanciunas certainly registers.
“Yeah, I think that’s definitely something that we’re looking at,” Tolzman said. “He’s a guy that, I think he’s such a good team player that he could probably play next to a lot of guys. He’s definitely a guy that makes others better around him. With his improving jump shot and all the different things he brings to the table with rebounding, and hustle, and setting big screens, whether it’s JV or anybody, if it’s coming off the bench or playing alongside the starters, whoever it is, he’s the type of guy that, in certain situations, could make a lot of players better.”
As for Sabonis, it sounds as if he’d be thrilled to reunite with Valanciunas and continue building on their teamwork from EuroBasket last year.
“It was awesome. He’s a great dude. He’s very funny. He just took care of me. It was awesome having him there,” Sabonis said of that tournament. “That would be awesome. I know everyone in Lithuania is dying for that. It’s not up to me. I’ll try my best and show the coaches what I can do.”
As for their friendship, Sabonis said that he follows the Raptors to keep up with Valanciunas and was “bummed” when he got hurt in the playoffs. Because of Toronto’s deep run, he didn’t bother Valanciunas much ahead of the draft process (though teammate Kyle Wiltjer, who was here last week, gave him a heads up about what to expect). He didn’t get a ton of help from his father’s own experience, either.
“The draft process, he didn’t find out he was drafted until a day or two after. It was a bit different,” Sabonis said. “But in terms of the NBA, yeah, he just says always be strong, be mentally strong, it’s a different game, different lifestyle, and just keep focus, don’t lose track.”
For as fun as Sabonis landing in Toronto would be, there’s still the matter of whether he’s worthy of the No. 9 pick. Nobody seems to have him that high, and to paraphrase Chad Ford, everyone likes him but nobody loves him. That type of guy can either get plucked early or slide a bit, and Sabonis has one of the wider draft ranges in the first round. For as much as he does well and as many intangibles as he brings, there remain questions about his defense once the quality of competition increases (he can be a stout post defender but is a bit foul-prone there, and his athleticism could make pick-and-pop scenarios a challenge), and the overall talent level isn’t quite high enough to have him in the top 10 on most boards.
His potential fit, how far along his shot is, and whether he’d be able to handle a limited role as a rookie – he was an eager role player as a freshman and played sparingly for the national team, so this probably isn’t a concern – are all likely to factor in. So, too, will how the Raptors want to play the pick in general. Sabonis seems to be one of the safest players in the draft, the consummate floor pick with a quicker path to contributing than some of the higher-ceiling names, and he just turned 20. At the very least, he’d bring energy, rebounding, and the type of culture fit the Raptors are always looking for.
Assorted
*You can catch up on the other Monday workout here, complete with some process notes and a note on the team’s coaching staff.
*Sabonis said he’s unsure about his status for the Olympics with Lithuania. He wasn’t even expecting to get the call last year, and while he didn’t go into specifics (and the team that drafts him will likely have a say), he left the possibility open.
*Here’s Sabonis on basketball in Lithuania: “In Lithuania we say basketball is our religion. It comes first before everything. Everyone loves it, all the fans, like, everyone in the country.” Awesome.
*And some Sabonis on growing up with Arvydas as a father: “I found out, I knew he was a basketball player when I was young, but I really found out who he truly was when I was maybe 12, 13. I found out that he’s basically the face of Lithuanian basketball, and worldwide, he’s one of the best players…I’m really happy and proud of my dad. Just wearing his name on the back of my jersey means a lot to me. A lot of people might say it’s pressure, or there’s a lot of haters and stuff, but for me, I’m happy with my dad. I’m proud to have it. Every time I see it, more people ask me about it, I’m happy.”
