Serge Ibaka‘s advance at a first-time All-Star selection comes at an ideal time for Thunder.
By Joe Manganiello
As pointed out by Royce Young of DailyThunder.com, Serge Ibaka is en fuego.
Serge Ibaka’s last three games: 20.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, on 73 percent shooting (27-of-37).
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 20, 2014
Solid rebound and block figures are to be expected from Ibaka at this juncture, but it’s his upper-echelon field goal percentage that stands out as a pleasant surprise – even if isn’t really anything new.
While 73 percent shooting over his last three games is brilliant, Ibaka has been a strong NBA shooter for close to a season and a half now. Note that Ibaka was the NBA’s top mid-range jump-shooter a season ago, as well as a top three shooter from either baseline. Halfway through the 2013-14 season, Ibaka is shooting over 52 percent from the field, and that number has jumped up to 55.2 percent over the twelve games he has played since Russell Westbrook had surgery on his right knee, per NBA.com.
Over those twelve games, Ibaka is shooting 47 of 64 (73.4 percent) from within eight feet of the basket, one of only three players in the league to shoot that well on at least 60 attempts. (Sidebar: LeBron continues to be the most lethal player at the basket in the NBA, making 73.6 percent of such shots on over 100 attempts. The guy’s unreal.)
Ibaka is certainly benefiting from recent masterpiece offensive performances from teammate Kevin Durant. With that said, Durant’s scoring efforts are aided by Ibaka’s elite shooting inside the arc – where he pulls help defenders away from whatever opponent Durant happens to be roasting on the perimeter.
Since Westbrook’s surgery, the Thunder are 8-4 in games with Ibaka, and lost to the Utah Jazz in the lone game without him. In a crowded Western Conference with at least six legitimate threats to win multiple playoff series, Ibaka remains as important as anybody in deciding who will eventually win the Finals come June. Grantland.com’s Zach Lowe wrote as much all the way back in October 2012, and it seems just as true in 2014.
Joe Manganiello (@joemags32) is a staff writer for PickinSplinters.com. He was published in the 2013-14 USA Today Sports College Basketball Preview. Peace, love, recycle and ball.
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