2020 Player Reviews

Wheat Hotchkiss

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2019-20 Season in Photos: Domantas Sabonis

Age: 24
Years Pro: 4
Status: Entering the first year of a four-year contract extension signed in Oct. 2019.
Key Stats: Started all 62 games in which he played, averaging 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5 assists (all career highs) while shooting 54 percent from the field. Set NBA franchise record with 50 double-doubles.

If a vote were held to name the MVP of the 2019-20 Pacers season, Domantas Sabonis would win in a landslide.

The 6-11 Lithuanian flourished in his first season as a starter in Indiana, putting up career-best numbers and earning his first All-Star selection.

Sabonis had come off the bench for all but 24 of 148 games over his first two seasons with the Blue & Gold. With the Pacers starting Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner in the frontcourt, Sabonis excelled in a sixth man role. He averaged 14.1 points on 59 percent shooting and 9.1 rebounds per game in 2018-19 and was one of three finalists for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.

But the offseason departure of Young created an opening in the starting frontcourt, allowing the Pacers to finally experiment with a starting lineup featuring both of their young centers, Sabonis and Turner.

It proved to be a prudent move, particularly because it allowed Sabonis to spend more time on the floor. His minutes jumped from 24.8 per game in 2018-19 to 34.8 as head coach Nate McMillan deployed a rotation that played to Sabonis' strengths.

PHOTO GALLERY: Domantas Sabonis' 2019-20 Season in Photos »

Sabonis started games alongside Turner, playing center on offense but generally guarding the opposing team's power forward on defense. He then subbed out midway through the first quarter, which allowed him to return to the game late in the first or early in the second quarter and play with Indiana's reserves.

With both lineups, the offense ran through Sabonis, who served as the primary ball screener. The combination of his size and playmaking abilities allowed him to create space for his teammates, bully defenders on the block, or use his gifts as a passer to find the open man.

In extended minutes, Sabonis averaged 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5 assists, all career highs. Despite taking over four more shots per game, his shooting percentage was still strong at .540. He was second on the Pacers in both scoring and assists and led Indiana and ranked fifth in the NBA in rebounding.

After racking up 30 double-doubles while coming off the bench a season earlier, Sabonis was a virtual lock to collect 10 or more points and rebounds every night in 2019-20. He tallied 50 in just 62 games to break the Pacers NBA franchise record for most double-doubles in a season previously held by Troy Murphy, who had 49 in 2008-09 campaign.

Sabonis also flirted with a triple-double throughout the first half of the season before finally collecting the first one of his career (and the first by a Pacer in a regular season game in nearly five years) on Jan. 19 in Denver, when he tallied 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Nuggets. That performance opened the floodgates, as he collected a triple-double in four of his next 10 contests.

Sabonis was rewarded for his stellar season by being voted by the league's coaches as a reserve for the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago. Sabonis was the lone representative from the Pacers to participate in All-Star Weekend. He nearly won the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday night, then suited up for the victorious Team LeBron in the All-Star Game the next night.

Unfortunately for both Sabonis and the Pacers, his season did not end in planned fashion. The big man had scored 20 or more points in three straight games before the NBA halted play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When teams finally reconvened for training camp in July, Sabonis came down with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

The nagging foot pain caused him to leave the NBA restart bubble in Orlando to seek medical treatment. He missed all eight seeding games to close the regular season as well as Indiana's first-round playoff series with Miami.

Sabonis was sorely missed, particularly in the series with the Heat. But the good news is he should be ready to go for next season, he is still only 24 years old, and he is under contract for four more seasons thanks to an extension he agreed to last October.

The offseason has already been a special one for Sabonis, who recently announced his engagement on social media.

And coming off the best year of his young career, plenty more good things appear to be on the horizon for Sabonis.

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Player Review 2020: Domantas Sabonis

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2019-20 Season in Photos: Aaron Holiday

Brendan Rourke

Age: 23
Years Pro: 2
Status: Entering the third year of rookie contract.
Key Stats: Appeared in 66 games for the Pacers, starting 33 of them. Averaged 9.5 points and 3.4 assists per game while shooting a career-best 39.4 percent from 3-point range.

Sometimes when a rookie heads into their second year, a rough patch can occur. The advantages of having new, never-before-seen, moves to the paint or deep shooting skills dissipate as more film is collected on them over time.

However, Aaron Holiday didn't have that regression that often creeps in. Instead, the former UCLA guard made positive strides towards becoming a valuable point guard in the league.

In his second year, Holiday set new career highs in nearly every statistic kept on record. Of course, some of that can just be attributed to more playing time overall. But the talented point guard played with something he just didn't have last year — experience.

Early in his NBA journey, Holiday has had a couple of valuable aids. Last year he learned behind NBA veterans Darren Collison and Cory Joseph. This year, he was able to learn from two more experienced guards in Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell.

It appears this has affected him positively, which is valuable for an up-and-coming player. Despite playing roughly 2.5 times more minutes, Holiday knocked down his turnovers per 36 minutes played from 2.2 to 2.0. Additionally, the young guard increased his assists per 36 minutes from 4.8 to 5.0, signifying he's learning to read the floor correctly and take care of the ball while in possession on the offensive side of the floor.

PHOTO GALLERY: Aaron Holiday's 2019-20 Season in Photos »

Holiday had the privilege of starting 33 games this year for the Blue & Gold due to injuries. After playing in five games off the bench to start the season, he collected eight consecutive starts from Nov 6 to Nov. 28, tallying double figures in all but one of them. His most impressive game of that run was a 24-point, 13-assist double-double performance in a commanding victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 18. He went 10-of-19 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep in the win.

As the season continued, Holiday continued to play smart basketball. Last year, he sometimes appeared to force an issue. He'd throw up an errant shot despite having ample time on the shot clock or force a pass to another Pacer through a clogged lane. This year, he continued to let the game come to him. By choosing his shots more wisely, he managed to increase his overall field goal percentage from 40.1 percent to 41.4 percent and his 3-point percentage jumped significantly from 33.9 percent to 39.4 percent.

From Dec. 11 to Dec. 28, Holiday had a run of nine consecutive games in double figures, including two games in which he eclipsed the 20-point mark. He scored a season-high 25 points on the final game of this run against the New Orleans Pelicans.

But perhaps the most special part of the season for the young product was the fact that he was able to learn the game from his older brother, Justin Holiday. The seven-year veteran was often on the court with him at the same time as part of the Pacers' second unit.

Multiple times during the season the dynamic duo connected on the court. Aaron would supply the initial cut into the paint before kicking out to Justin for a wide-open 3-pointer. If one of them picked up a loose ball, they'd spot the other sprinting to the offensive end on a fast break. Their chemistry led to the coining of the term, "Holiday SZN."

Indiana's front office has done everything in their power to make Holiday comfortable while coming into his own as an NBA player. The signing of established veterans, including his brother, illustrate that management is heavily invested in turning Holiday into a longtime Pacer. Although the road may be long, Holiday definitely looks up to the challenge.

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Player Review 2020: Aaron Holiday

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2019-20 Season in Photos: Brian Bowen II

Age: 21
Years Pro: 1
Status: Coming off first season on two-way contract.
Key Stats: Averaged 16.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over 29 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Also appeared in six games for the Pacers, including one start.

The Pacers used their two two-way roster slots this season in different ways.

One spot went to Naz Mitrou-Long, a 26-year-old guard with five years of college and two years of NBA experience capable of filling in at point guard in an emergency situation.

The other spot went to Brian Bowen II, a 21-year-old wing with intriguing potential but needing some time to develop before being ready to contribute at the NBA level.

In many ways, Bowen was the more conventional selection for a two-way player, though his path to the Pacers was anything but conventional.

A McDonald's All-American in 2017 out of La Lumiere Academy in LaPorte, Ind., Bowen originally committed to and enrolled at Louisville before being caught up in a recruiting controversy that resulted in him losing his eligibility. He transferred to South Carolina for the spring semester and hoped to eventually play for the Gamecocks, but turned pro when it became clear that he would have to wait longer than he hoped before regaining his eligibility.

Bowen declared for the NBA Draft in 2018 but backed out at the deadline, opting instead to spend a season overseas in Australia, where he played in 28 games for the Sydney Kings of the NBL. He then entered the 2019 Draft but did not get selected, opting to sign a two-way contract with Indiana days after the draft.

PHOTO GALLERY: Brian Bowen II's 2019-20 Season in Photos »

Bowen has all the makings of an NBA player. He is a former five-star recruit with good length and athleticism, but he simply hasn't logged as many minutes as his peers over the past two seasons. So for the Pacers, this season was all about getting him experience.

Bowen logged 983 minutes in the G League last season in just 29 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He averaged 16.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in those contests while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from 3-point range.

Those percentages could improve with better shot selection, as Bowen attempted over 12 field goals and over four 3-pointers per game. Indeed, his .872 free throw percentage suggests he has the shooting stroke to develop into a potentially lethal outside threat.

Bowen's rebounding numbers are also strong for a 6-6 wing. He had multiple double-doubles in the G League and ranked second on the Mad Ants in rebounding among players who participated in 20 or more games.

Bowen also spent a good amount of time with the Pacers, often by design and occasionally out of necessity due to the onslaught of injuries that plagued Indiana's roster.

But while Bowen was often on standby, he saw the floor in just six NBA games as a rookie, logging a total of 31 minutes. Two games, in particular, stand out.

Injuries allowed Bowen to be active on Nov. 12, and with the Pacers pummeling the Thunder, head coach Nate McMillan subbed Bowen in for the final 2:35 of a 111-85 win. It was Bowen's NBA debut and his teammates worked hard to get him his first points.

He missed a 14-footer with 1:48 to play, but broke through a minute later, when he banked in a 7-foot pull-up, sending the bench into hysterics.

"It means a lot," Bowen said at the time. "It's a real emotional moment for me. I've been though a lot just to get to this point. It's a dream come true for me."

Months later, McMillan called Bowen's number once again. With T.J. Warren and Doug McDermott both out due to injury for the March 6 game at Chicago, McMillan elected to start Bowen so he could keep Justin Holiday and Edmond Sumner with the second unit.

Bowen logged a career-high 15 minutes that night. He didn't score on four shot attempts, but did collect four rebounds while helping Indiana to a 108-102 victory. Bowen played the role that was asked of him in the starting lineup, worked hard on the defensive end, and the Pacers finished the night +3 when he was on the court.

Bowen hopes to add more chapters to his brief NBA career next season. At 21, he still has plenty of room for growth.

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Player Review 2020: Brian Bowen II

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2019-20 Season in Photos: JaKarr Sampson

Age: 27
Years Pro: 5
Status: Unrestricted free agent.
Key Stats: Cracked the starting lineup 12 times in 34 appearances this season. Averaged 4.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest. Shot a team-high 59.1 percent from the field.

Though he appeared in less than half of the Pacers' games this season, JaKarr Sampson became a key cog of the squad right from the start. The former undrafted forward from St. John's became the epitome of "next man up" for the Blue & Gold.

As the Blue & Gold were struck with the nonstop injury bug to start the season, Sampson stepped in the starting lineup and performed his duties adequately.

The big man started seven consecutive games from Nov. 3 to Nov. 15 and earned a positive +/- ratio in all but one of them. He even had back-to-back games in double figures against the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons.

PHOTO GALLERY: JaKarr Sampson's 2019-20 Season in Photos »

But as the team started to become healthy again, Sampson didn't mind switching up his roles to become one of the high-energy pieces of the Pacers' deep bench.

When Nate McMillan felt like his team needed a spark, he sent in Sampson. Often playing close to the rim, the 6-7 journeyman became the Pacers' go-to guy for earth-shattering, momentum-swinging slams. Fans in attendance prepared to roar every time he got his mitts on the ball down low.

Including both regular season and playoffs, Sampson took 93 of his 131 field goal attempts within 10 feet of the rim. He connected on 66 of them, with 22 coming on thunderous dunks. His penchant for close attempts led him to carry the team's highest overall field goal percentage (59.1 percent).

"I think I always do that," Sampson said on the ferocity of his dunks after the Feb. 25 game against the Charlotte Hornets. "That's just how I dunk. I don't know how to dunk any other way."

Perhaps the most highlight-worthy game for Sampson this year came on March 6 against the Chicago Bulls. Tying his season-high of 14 points, Sampson executed two emphatic dunks within a 37-second span — the first being a spectacular reverse right-handed flush — to give the Blue & Gold much-needed energy before the end of the first half. He finished the game 5-of-6 from the floor while collecting five boards and three assists.

Sampson's destination for the 2020-2021 season is relatively unknown. But if this season showed anything, it's that he has the heart, the hustle, and the ability to switch roles to remain on an NBA roster. The do-it-all, energetic big man deserves to remain in the league for the foreseeable future.