Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is up/down, including Kawhi Leonard on fire

Serge Ibaka – Stock Up

A bright week for Serge Ibaka, who is finding his rhythm after a three-game absence due to a knee injury.

Serge was a touch below par in the games against Chicago and Utah, before a turn in individual fortunes against San Antonio last Thursday. Since then, he’s harked back to the form of earlier this season. Ibaka averaged 18 points in games against Milwaukee, Indiana, and Atlanta this week, along with six rebounds and just over one assist.

The week started with twenty-five points against the Bucks, their defensive coverages forced Ibaka into taking shots from the mid-range. If you’ve watched any Raptors basketball this season you’ll know that that’s not a scenario that’ll bode well for the Bucks. The mid-range jumper has been money for Serge this season. He’s hitting 60-percent from between 16-feet and the three-point line. In Milwauke,e he hit 11-17 and finished with 25 points and a comfortable nine rebounds. Hold on a second, Serge even had a season-high five assists!

Ibaka followed up with a nice game against the Pacers, finishing with 18 points and knocked down two three-pointers. The absence of Myles Turner in the game might have helped on offense. Sabonis is a solid defender, but not anywhere near the level of Turner.

Serge’s strong play on the offensive end was parallel with his efforts on the defensive end. He had two blocks and worked hard all night. He turned the ball over five times, which is really isn’t great, but his overall game was impressive.

His game lacked the same cutting edge against Atlanta, but anyone who wasn’t Kawhi Leonard pretty much lacked killer instinct. Serge was fine. He had 13 points and defended well enough. All in all, it was a good week for Serge. He’s edging towards the form that had him as an outside of the box candidate for an All-Star appearance.