Post by jhb on Jun 3, 2021 8:43:25 GMT -5
Arvydas Sabonis
C
7'3"
279
20
Lithuania
Sabonis has elite size and skills and is one of the younger prospects in this class with huge upside. He's everything most GM's are looking for, except for the fact no one knows if he actually wants to come over and play basketball in the United States. He's entered his name in the draft, but all indications appear that he plans to continue to play in Europe for the time being. He is absolutely dominating European basketball in Lithuania and could probably even jump to a higher level like La Liga in Spain and be just as dominant. As the crown jewel of Euroleague, is he ready to jump to The States and have to deal with the culture shock and compete at a higher level or is he content to just dominate overmatched Euros for most of his professional career?
Sabonis is a prototype size for a center. He's well over 7', thick, strong, and he's got long enough arms that he'll block and alter shots without even leaving his feet. While he's an adequate two foot leaper, he's not especially bouncy, but that's okay as he's able to work around it. He's got a very smooth shooting stroke and he's shown the range to make shots out to the three point line moreso than any other prospect in this class as they didn't have the benefit of a 3pt line in college. He approaches 80% from the line as a free throw shooter. In the post, he's got an emerging post game that most European players can't contend with. He's shown a drop-step and turnaround and he can use the sky hook effectively. He'll have to learn how to counter some stronger defenders in TMBSL, but he has the strength to handle that, it'll just be a matter of getting reps. His ball-handling ability is solid for a man his size, and he shouldn't have any issue in either the face-up game or with his back to the basket creating offense for himself. He's an exceptional high post passer and does a great job luring the defense away from the rim because of his ability to shoot the ball before finding cutting wings for easy baskets at the hoop.
Sabonis isn't a great offensive rebounder, but he does do an excellent job of using his size and strength to seal off the lane and close the glass for second chance opportunities on the defensive end. He erases opponent possessions after missed shots on that end and does a great job of anticipating where the ball will bounce off the rim. He's not the most mobile center to every come to TMBSL and cannot switch out onto perimeter players, but he's a very good low block defender and his length will absolutely bother opponents. He's got quick hands and he uses them to alter shots and also poke the ball away from opponents attempting to drive the lane, he's got one of the better steal rates for big men in Euroleague.
