Toronto Raptors need Serge Ibaka to separate as team’s third best player

Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard can’t do it alone. That’s why the Toronto Raptors need Serge Ibaka to stand out as their third best player.

The Toronto Raptors’ hot start to the 2018-19 season can be attributed to a number of things. Outside Boston, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee, the Raptors haven’t faced many elite teams or had to do much traveling away from Toronto.

Kawhi Leonard looks healthy and fresh, despite essentially taking an entire year off. Kyle Lowry is shooting the ball as well as he ever has, and is leading the league in assists (total and per game).

Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard playing at an All-Star level shouldn’t be all that surprising, although the chemistry they’ve shown together is a great sign.

What has been even more of a welcome sight to Raptors fans has been the play of Serge Ibaka.

The most important move that Nick Nurse has made so far has been to turn Ibaka into a centre. The strategic value in taking formerly athletic power forwards and moving them up a position is conventional wisdom, so we all should have seen this coming.

It is, however, hard to overstate how important this shift was, and how much the Raptors need this version of Ibaka if they are going to make the NBA Finals. In his new role, Ibaka has been the Raptors’ third best player behind Leonard and Lowry.

He is averaging over 16 points per game (third highest on the team), 7.8 rebounds per game (tied for first on the team), shooting over 50-percent from the field, and leading the team in blocks per game.

In terms of talent and career achievements, Ibaka is the Raptors’ third-best option. You wouldn’t have known watching the past two years. During his time in Toronto, Ibaka has failed to provide consistent production when it mattered most.

When Serge plays well within the offense, the Raptors add a whole new dimension to their attack.  This isn’t to say that Ibaka needs to score upwards of 20 points every night, he just needs to stop having games wherein he scores something like six points and doesn’t play in the fourth quarter.

Ibaka is too good for that.

Part of the reason Ibaka had nights like those in the past is because he spent a lot of time playing next to Jonas Valanciunas. Playing as a powerforward forced Ibaka around the three-point line, unable to grab offensive rebounds or take midrange jump shots which is what he did so well in Oklahoma City.

What’s worse is that on defense, he was guarding power forwards who would draw him away from the basket, neutralizing his most coveted skill – rim protection. Nick Nurse knows this because he’s been around to see it ever since Ibaka arrived in Toronto, and he seemed to know before the season even began that a switch was needed.

As a centre, he will now spend more time around the rim on both ends, increasing the chances he has to block shots and to score easy points. As NBA teams continue to trot out smaller lineups, Ibaka will find himself with size advantages more and more.

All these changes should (in theory) make Ibaka’s life easier, and highlight what he does best.  So far, the theory has been proven correct.

If Ibaka disappears into the crowd of rotation players that surround Lowry and Leonard, the Raptors’ ceiling gets significantly lower.

Although the Raptors’ depth will help them win in the regular season, you need three or four players to really stand out in the playoffs. We’ve seen the Raptors attempt to advance through the playoffs with a two-headed snake. How has that worked out so far?

To make the finals, the Raptors need Serge Ibaka to finally reach the All-Star level that he’s come close to before.