Serge Ibaka is quietly putting together his best stretch of basketball in a Raptors uniform — and, naturally, the team is benefiting as a result.
December has been good to the 28-year-old big man. He’s scoring the ball with consistency, protecting the basket on defence, and shooting the lights out. In short, he’s been the player the Raps need him to be in order to maximize their potential.
In five games since the start of the month, the Raptors are 4-1 while Ibaka is averaging 18.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, two blocks and has sunk three three-pointers per game. And he’s doing it in just under thirty minutes of action per game.
Take a look at his shot chart over that span:
What immediately stands out is the lush green all around the perimeter. Ibaka has been incredibly aggressive with his three-point shot this season, (often a beneficiary of drive-and-kicks and the team’s new emphasis on swinging the ball), averaging a career-high 4.6 attempts per game. Over the course of this season, his 38.1 three-point field goal percentage is down from 39.1 per cent last season. During his first 18 games he shot just 32.5 per cent from deep.
But over the last five games he’s averaging 5.6 attemps from beyond the arc, and converting on a stunning 54 per cent. And while the three-ball has propelled his offensive improvement, it’s also worth noting that he’s hitting shots from all over the court (…except the right corner. That’s OG Anunoby’s spot):
The Raptors are 8-2 this season when their marquee addition at the 2017 trade deadline scores 15 points or more. When Ibaka is rolling offensively, it gives the Raptors a bona fide third option ready to take advantage of the added attention defences pay to DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry — at least one who is best suited to do so reliably, an issue at times for Ibaka himself earlier this season and since coming to Toronto.
The effect his improved scoring has had on the team is obvious. During the month of December, the team boasts a better offensive rating, and a dramatically-higher net rating when he’s on the floor compared to when he sits.
SERGE IBAKA | ON | OFF |
---|---|---|
Net Rating | 11 | -0.7 |
Off. Rating | 113.8 | 100.5 |
Effective FG% | 55.4 | 48.3 |
True shooting % | 60 | 51.8 |
Rebound % | 51.2 | 47 |
Beyond scoring, Ibaka is getting it done on the defensive end, too, where he’s always been expected to have a greater impact.
His natural position in today’s NBA may be at centre, where he doesn’t have to chase smaller forwards around the perimeter, forcing him further away from the basket (probably the best explanation for why his block numbers have been down since coming to Toronto). On a roster featuring Jonas Valanciunas, Jakob Poeltl and, when healthy, Lucas Nogueira, he’ll have a hard time finding minutes at centre. No matter — Ibaka is thriving at the four as of late, looking the part of the impactful rim defender fans expected after watching him average 2.5 blocks during his first seven seasons and lead the league in the category twice as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In truth, Ibaka’s strong play dates back further than just this month.
Since sitting out the Raptors’ loss in New York vs. the Knicks on Nov. 17 with a swollen knee, Ibaka has been swatting away two shots per game, which puts him fourth in the NBA during that span, tied with two of the most impactful centres in the league in Joel Embiid and Clint Capella.
It all seems like more than just a hot stretch — sure his three-point rate is entirely unsustainable, but Ibaka is finding his role within the Raps’ new systems and thriving, while Dwane Casey and his coaching staff are finding ways to utilize his evolving skill set.
If he can keep up something close to this production — and do it with a high frequency — then Ibaka may very well prove to be the elusive third star Masai Ujiri and the Raptors have been looking for to help lead the team alongside DeRozan and Lowry. DeMarre Carroll couldn’t cut it. Valanciunas clearly didn’t get the part after a lengthy audition. Any one of the promising young players on the roster — Anunoby, Poeltl, Norman Powell — aren’t ready for that kind of workload or responsibility.
Can Ibaka assume that role for an extended stretch? The answer will go a long way to determine whether or not the Raptors reach their ceiling this season.
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