When the Indiana Pacers finally made a decision regarding Paul George over the summer, the trade they decided on -- George to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis -- was viewed with more than a fair bit of skepticism. It was part doubt that Oladipo and Sabonis were really all that great, and part surprise that the Pacers couldn't get more for one of the league's elite forwards.
After the first few weeks of the season, the early indications are that the Pacers might not have gotten swindled on that deal after all. That's because Oladipo and Sabonis have been flat-out tremendous in Indianapolis.
In fact, to this point, George has arguably been the worst player out of the three involved in that trade. Obviously that isn't to say either of those players are better than George; no one thinks that. However, it does illustrate how strong the Pacers' two new youngsters have been. And Sunday's last-second victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs was a perfect example.
Let's start with Oladipo. Not only did he finish with 23 points, four rebounds, and five assists, he stepped up with the game on the line. Everyone will remember him knocking down a game-winning, step-back 3-pointer over LaMarcus Aldridge's outstretched arm with just 10 seconds to play.
Oladipo delivers for the @Pacers & sinks the game winning 3!
— NBA (@NBA) October 29, 2017
IND finishes the game on a 24-12 run and defeat the @spurs at home, 97-94. pic.twitter.com/nGjQxec3pE
The only reason they were even close enough for him to hit that shot is because of his play earlier in the quarter.
After Kyle Anderson scored with 6:44 remaining, the Spurs led 92-83, and appeared to be pulling away. Coming out of the ensuing timeout, Oladipo showed he had other ideas. Including the game-winner, Oladipo scored 11 of his 23 points down the stretch, and between points and assists, he was directly responsible for 16 of the Pacers' final 24 points.
Likewise, Sabonis had another big night that included key plays in the comeback. The big man finished with a career-high 22 points on perfect 9-for-9 shooting and also grabbed 12 rebounds to complete his third double-double of the season. Of those 22 points, six came in the final five minutes.
Together, Oladipo and Sabonis scored 17 of the Pacers' final 24 points as the team came back from a nine-point deficit with just over six-and-a-half minutes remaining to beat the Spurs 97-94 and move to 3-3 on the season. And this wasn't just a one-off performance from the youngsters.
Averaging a career-high 25.5 points per game, Oladipo is up there among the elite players, sitting at eighth in the league in scoring, just behind James Harden, and just in front of Anthony Davis. A big reason for his leap in scoring, besides the few extra shots per game he's taking, is his efficiency.
He's shooting an even 50 percent from the field, including an impressive 46.9 percent from downtown -- each of which would be career-best marks. And really, if he would stop taking so many mid-range jumpers (he's 12 of 32 from the mid-range this season), his shooting percentages would look even better, because he's been fantastic finishing around the rim and shooting from behind the arc.
To be sure, the rate at which he's turning the ball over (3.5 per game) is a bit worrisome, but overall, Oladipo has been mighty impressive so far with the Pacers. This is the player they were hopeful they were getting when they swung the deal with OKC.
Sabonis, meanwhile, looks like a completely different player than he did with the Thunder, though a large part is likely due to the fact that he's more comfortable in his second season than he was as a 20-year-old rookie. He's averaging a double-double through the first six games of the season, putting up 13 points and 10.2 rebounds a night, which is tied for 13th in the league.
Thanks to three different perfect shooting nights, including Sunday's 9 of 9 performance, Sabonis is shooting 66 percent from the field, a huge jump from the 39.9 percent he shot last season, which had many analysts concerned.
Just look at his two shot charts. First from last season, and then from the first six games of this season. His finishing around the rim, which is where he'll take the majority of his attempts, is the most encouraging part. He's up over 20 percent in that area.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Sabonis' improved play this season has been his rebounding -- especially on the offensive end. Despite the fact that he's only playing about five more minutes per game, he's averaging nearly seven more rebounds than he did last season.
And on the offensive end? In 155 minutes of action this season, Sabonis has already grabbed 22 offensive boards. Last season, in 1,631 regular season minutes, he had just 46. Not even Russell Westbrook stealing some rebounds here and there can explain that lack of production on the offensive glass.
It's only been six games, and perhaps we'll look back at the All-Star break and realize this was just a hot start. At least for now, however, there are encouraging signs that Oladipo and Sabonis could become the players the Pacers were envisioning when they made the trade.
