Gonzaga sophomore forward/center Domantas Sabonis will enter this year’s draft, sources told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The son of Hall-of-Famer Arvydas Sabonis is likely to sign with an agent, Goodman adds. If he does so, he’ll be unable to withdraw from the draft and retain his college eligibility. The 6’10” 20-year-old is the 15th-best prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings and No. 19 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress list.
This was a breakout season for Sabonis, who averaged 17.6 points on 61.1% shooting. His 11.8 rebounds per contest were the sixth-most in NCAA Division I. He raised his game even further in the NCAA Tournament last month, averaging 19.7 points and 14.3 boards in three outings. Ford compliments his passing, a trait passed down from his father, though his 1.8 assists per game for the Bulldogs this season weren’t eye-popping. He lacks an outside game, attempting only 14 3-pointers all season, though he made five of them.
The Portland, Oregon, native was 26th in the 247Sports recruiting rankings in 2014, one of the ratings used in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, but he went to high school in Spain instead of the United States, keeping him out of the other ratings. In any case, he spent his freshman year at Gonzaga as a bench player, but his career took off following his insertion into the starting lineup in an early December game against Washington State this season. He scored a career-high 36 points against Tennessee a few weeks later.
I’d love to see the Pistons land this kid. Could play the 4 or the 5 if Drummond has foul trouble. Perfect for the pick and roll.
Sabonis is the real deal. I love his game and his heart. And I am a BYU fan!