Here’s an insider’s view of the Raptors’ latest acquisition, Serge Ibaka.
As a member of the FanSided network of sites, we at Raptors Rapture have opportunities to connect with our peers in the other NBA cities. In last year’s playoff run, we frequently published Q & A posts in conjunction with the knowledgeable people in Indiana, Miami and Cleveland – but, alas, not Golden State.
Recently, Philip Rossman-Reich, Editor of Orlando Magic Daily, asked for my opinion on the merits of the Serge Ibaka for Terrence Ross trade. He’s included my responses in a post on his site, which you may find interesting.
In turn, I asked Philip some questions about Serge Ibaka. Hopefully some or all of these queries/responses will quell your curiosity about our latest acquisition. I’m RR, he’s OMD.
Question & Answer
RR: What were Magic fans hoping for when Ibaka arrived, and how closely did he meet their expectations?
OMD: Essentially since the Magic acquired and got a sense of Nikola Vucevic, we have been asking for a shot-blocking 4 to pair next to him . . . sort of like Serge Ibaka. When the Magic got him, with Frank Vogel as the head coach, the expectation was that he would bolster the team’s defense and help cover for some of Vucevic’s shortcomings. In addition, giving him a larger role would see his offense uptick. The offensive part worked. But (and maybe this was more a problem of roster construction) he never really transformed the team’s defense. Ibaka was not bad, but he was not the impact player he once was either. At time, he showed flashes of flying around and blocking shots, but too often his rotations were slow. Ibaka should still contribute positively defensively, but he does not transform a team like he used to.
RR: I’ve read rumblings to the effect that the Magic players won’t miss Ibaka; that he was uncooperative. Are those complaints valid? If so, what didn’t he like about his new (now old) team? For instance, was he upset about leaving OKC?
OMD: I do not think the complaints are anything mean. Ibaka was kind of aloof, I guess. It did not seem he had a lot of close friends within the Magic’s locker room. It was obviously a different vibe from Oklahoma City and maybe the Magic were asking him to be a leader when he had not been one before. That just may not be his personality. By all accounts, the Magic did not consider him a bad influence or a detriment in the locker room. Things just never clicked. That is something that is just hard to predict. Ibaka did not fit fully into the fold.
Is Serge still a two-way player?
RR: We had Bismack Biyombo last season, and he was a defensive marvel. Offensively, he was offensive. Ibaka should be more balanced. Was he helping at both ends while he was in Orlando?
OMD: Ibaka’s 3-point shooting was fantastic this year. If anything, he relied on it too much — and at one point this season, he said he was shooting 3-pointers too much and wished they used him more in the post. Ibaka will force some mid-range jump shots, but he certainly showed in his time with Orlando he could take on a larger offensive role and be more than a spot-up shooter.
RR: There are concerns Ibaka’s defense has slipped. Did you get any hint of that?
OMD: It was probably unfair to ask Ibaka to be the all-defensive player he was a few years ago. That has been a steady decline. Ibaka is at least as good as he was defensively last year. And sometimes he looked a lot better. The inconsistency was probably the most frustrating part. He just could not slide over and help the weakside every game. When he was on, he was dangerous defensively still. But he struggled when paired with Bismack Biyombo, which was a bit surprising. Ibaka can still dig it out on occasion. I imagine in the Playoffs, he will ratchet his play up too. But it just is not there every game.
Someone had to go
RR: I thought since pre-season that the Magic’s roster featured too many big men. Was Ibaka the right guy to trade, or would you have preferred to see Vucevic or Biz get moved?
OMD: I still believe Serge Ibaka was the right move for the Magic. He was a good foil for Nikola Vucevic and I think the defense was better with him around. The problem was the way the rest of the roster was put together. The Magic needed more shooting and to spread the floor more. And they needed to experiment more with Ibaka playing center next to Aaron Gordon (that virtually never happened). The Magic had to move Ibaka because of the risk of losing him in free agency. That was not something the Magic could risk doing without recouping some value. The Magic made a gamble and they lost.
RR: Anything else about Serge you’d like to share with Raptors fans?
OMD: I have probably painted a somewhat negative picture of Serge Ibaka in the last five questions. There were a lot of things going wrong in Orlando that did not allow Serge to shine. They gave him a chance to be a bigger offensive weapon and he largely succeeded. He is having a career offensive year. Who knows, being in a winning environment could create more consistency. Ibaka is a good player when engaged. The Magic struggled to keep him engaged it seemed. And he was not the leader the team needed. As a secondary player with the Raptors, I anticipate he will find a lot more success.
Thanks Philip!