Roy Hibbert - His year to cause havoc in the league

Not many of you might be aware of this but this 7 feet 2 inch monster from the Indiana Pacers spent his 2^nd consecutive summer this year training with the veteran San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan. The positive impact “Mr. Fundamental” can make on the big man could make him a nightmare for any team to defend.

Numerous off-season reports have stated Hibbert has been lifting quite the weights in the gym. This probably in an attempt to dominate the paint more and be more of a physical presence on the offensive end than he was past season and though he already weighs in at 280 pounds, more muscle certainly won’t hurt.

His dominant performance as a rim protector and an offensive tool in the Indiana Pacers’ arsenal was showcased in abundance in the Conference Finals series against defending champions Miami Heat.

His sheer presence in the paint makes every player, even the MVP of the league LeBron James, alter their shot. He improved this past season as a defensive force and that could be seen in his improved blocks per game average of 2.6.

According to NBA.com, the Pacers allowed only 2,145 attempts at the rim, the second fewest in the league and the opponents have shot a league worst 52.4% on those tries. NBA fans let it be known that’s all Roy Hibbert!

Having said that, there are a few aspects of his game, if Hibbert could fine tune would be hugely beneficial to the team and his own game.

One aspect being him averaging a mere 1.4 assists per game, but then again playing center nobody is asking double figure assists from him. Despite that, his offensive game gets so much of the opponent’s attention that he could use himself as a decoy and throw the ball out to his teammates on the perimeter. It would be great to hear Hibbert get the credit for any of Paul George, C. J. Watson, George Hill and Danny Granger drilling shots from beyond the arc.

His rebounding game has still tremendous scope for improvement. For his height, each game he garners a height advantage of 1-2 inches over his counterparts. However, his numbers do not show the advantage as he is tied 19^th in the league in rebounding with an average of 8.3.

He can finish at the rim with either hand; his hook shot though not prettiest is extremely effective. In his offensive game he mid-range shooting is the weakest and could definitely get better as the season progresses (maybe he could steal Duncan’s bank shot from him). If his offensive game could include this feature, it would reduce the offensive load on Paul George and the rest of his teammates.

Do not be fooled by his 47.17% shooting this season from the restricted area. Hibbert complained of an injury on the wrist bothering him and with previous year averages of 55.17 percent from this area in 2011-12 and 52.57 percent the season before that, he should be primed to do even better this coming season.

Another aspect that could help take the league by storm this season actually has nothing do with his game – stamina and fitness. He averaged just 28.7 minutes in the regular season mostly due to effects of poor conditioning and the pressure of a huge contract. However, to be beneficial to his team he would have to be effective over a long stretches of the game and make his presence in the paint known.

Nobody expects him to be Joakim Noah or Marc Gasol to run the team’s offense from the elbow and with the Paul George or George Hill’s presence on the floor that would not be asked of him either but he needs to have a better understanding of floor placement and the position of his teammates when he receives the ball in the low post. As he receives the ball on the move, off the pick and roll there is a very easily noticeable hesitancy in his game to pass the ball or make the next play which allows defenders to recover and get into the passing lanes for the steal.

With a stellar off season preparation and training, Hibbert looks all set to win the Defensive Player of the Year along with it have an All-Star selection on his mind.

He would first want to be effective and beneficial to the team cause no matter what awards he wins through the course of the season, it’s the gold in June that everybody is fighting for and he would be needed his team’s expertise for that.

Here’s the top 10 highlights of Roy Hibbert’s past season: