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Just trade him already 
Nate McMillan was replaced by the disastrous Nate Bjorkgren, who got dumped for a future Hall of Fame head coach in Rick Carlisle, and yet the results remain blah and boring for the Pacers a third season in a row.
Most curious of all is Carlisle’s handling of Sabonis, a 25-year-old two-time All-Star who has seen his role dwindle this season. Sabonis was previously a playmaking hub on the elbow and post, logging 14.6 touches per game under McMillan to 14.3 under Bjorkgren, but that number has plummeted under Carlisle to only 8.7, according to NBA Advanced Stats.
Allowing Sabonis to facilitate from the elbows optimized his offensive value because it empowered him to attack the basket or pick apart the defense with the pass. Now he’s been neutered by being asked to be a stationary player spotting up from 3. The problem is that he’s a minor threat from distance, at only 31.6 percent from 3 in his career and only 28.4 percent this season.
Carlisle doesn’t like post-ups. In Dallas, he removed Kristaps Porzingis’s post touches in favor of 3s. The difference is Porzingis is a knockdown shooter for his size and in previous seasons was a feeble post presence. Sabonis isn’t a dominant post threat like Joel Embiid or a telepathic playmaker from the elbows like Nikola Jokic. But he’s good. It’s what he does best.
If Carlisle’s vision for Sabonis doesn’t align with his ideal role, it poses a question about Sabonis’s future with the team. The idea of dealing him is understandably met with a split opinion among Pacers fans. You could point to his success and year-to-year improvement, but you could also have concerns about his fit andhis shortcomings on defense; Sabonis has made subtle yet insignificant improvements there over the years, and he’s still average at best.
The trade market is as dry as a Pacers game. If Indiana openly shopped Sabonis, he would immediately become the best player available. What he offers may not work for Indiana, but his playmaking could be of great value to another team with contending hopes—or a team desperate to push for a playoff spot. In turn, the Pacers could fill their no. 1 need of a playmaking guard or wing who can generate an open shot at the end of the shot clock. It might cost them their most accomplished player, but at least it’d get them moving in the right direction.
Most curious of all is Carlisle’s handling of Sabonis, a 25-year-old two-time All-Star who has seen his role dwindle this season. Sabonis was previously a playmaking hub on the elbow and post, logging 14.6 touches per game under McMillan to 14.3 under Bjorkgren, but that number has plummeted under Carlisle to only 8.7, according to NBA Advanced Stats.
Allowing Sabonis to facilitate from the elbows optimized his offensive value because it empowered him to attack the basket or pick apart the defense with the pass. Now he’s been neutered by being asked to be a stationary player spotting up from 3. The problem is that he’s a minor threat from distance, at only 31.6 percent from 3 in his career and only 28.4 percent this season.
Carlisle doesn’t like post-ups. In Dallas, he removed Kristaps Porzingis’s post touches in favor of 3s. The difference is Porzingis is a knockdown shooter for his size and in previous seasons was a feeble post presence. Sabonis isn’t a dominant post threat like Joel Embiid or a telepathic playmaker from the elbows like Nikola Jokic. But he’s good. It’s what he does best.
If Carlisle’s vision for Sabonis doesn’t align with his ideal role, it poses a question about Sabonis’s future with the team. The idea of dealing him is understandably met with a split opinion among Pacers fans. You could point to his success and year-to-year improvement, but you could also have concerns about his fit andhis shortcomings on defense; Sabonis has made subtle yet insignificant improvements there over the years, and he’s still average at best.
The trade market is as dry as a Pacers game. If Indiana openly shopped Sabonis, he would immediately become the best player available. What he offers may not work for Indiana, but his playmaking could be of great value to another team with contending hopes—or a team desperate to push for a playoff spot. In turn, the Pacers could fill their no. 1 need of a playmaking guard or wing who can generate an open shot at the end of the shot clock. It might cost them their most accomplished player, but at least it’d get them moving in the right direction.
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