Pacers need Hibbert: That’s a scary fact
TYLER SMITH
ISL Correspondent
As the Pacers prepare for another must-win Game 2 situation, one can’t help but wonder about the mystery known as Roy Hibbert.
His slump has reached historic proportions with another zero-point, zero-rebound effort in Game 1. It was the third time in the last four games that Hibbert has failed to score a single point and the second time he failed to grab a single rebound. He has only eclipsed four rebounds twice in the eight playoff games. As I said in my Game 1 recap, Drew Gooden played the same amount of minutes as Hibbert and was able to grab 13 rebounds and score 12 points.
In the first round, I had all but given up on Hibbert to contribute in that matchup. He surprised us all with a big Game 7 performance. Considering Hibbert has always been a confidence-inspired player, Pacers fans had hoped that strong game would carry over to the second round. Instead, fans are left wondering what has happened to their All-Star center.
Despite calling for Hibbert to be benched against Atlanta, I still knew that he was vital to their success moving forward. With Marcin Gortat, Nene Hilario and Co., the Wizards’ bigs are too strong for the Pacers to try small ball. They will need a strong effort from Hibbert to advance.
And that is a scary thing for Pacers fans.
Before everyone gives up on Hibbert, let me remind you that he has had similar stretches to this in recent years offensively. The first two months of last season were pretty awful for Hibbert, as he only averaged nine points per game on 38 percent shooting. At that time, fans were voicing their concerns over the max contract. The big difference between Hibbert’s slump then and now, however, is that he was still rebounding the ball and playing defense.
Right now, all three aspects of Hibbert’s game are missing. As bad as Hibbert looked in those first two months of last season, he was able to turn it around and average 15 and nine the rest of the season. When he regains confidence, he can become a force again. The problem is, this isn’t the regular season. The Pacers don’t have the luxury of waiting on Roy to break out of his prolonged funk, or they’ll be watching the rest of the playoffs from home.
It seems almost like a distant memory that Hibbert averaged 22.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat last season. How does a guy go from dominating a series against the NBA champs to averaging 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in this year’s playoffs against teams like Atlanta and Washington?
The difficult matchup against Atlanta got Hibbert off the hook to an extent. In a more favorable matchup against Washington, there are simply no more excuses for the 7-foot-2 center.
When you consider how different the Pacers played after February, plenty of blame can go around. It’s a team effort in the good times and the bad. Even so, Hibbert is probably the biggest problem and issue on this team.
Roy Hibbert in wins: 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 blocks.
Roy Hibbert in losses: 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks.
Roy Hibbert before All-Star break: 11.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 46 percent shooting, 2.5 blocks.
Roy Hibbert after All-Star break: 8.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 39 percent shooting, 1.8 blocks.
Notice how closely the numbers resemble each other between Hibbert’s play and the team’s play. Not just in wins and losses, but also pre- and post- All-Star break.
The big question moving forward is: What can Frank Vogel do? Is the entire season resting on the shoulders of Hibbert? Where is the guy who dominated the Miami Heat? Where is the two-time All-Star? Where is the anchor to what used to be the league’s best defense?
Hibbert may not even know where that guy is. But one thing is for sure: He needs to be found, and soon, if the Pacers want to continue their season beyond the second round.
Follow Tyler Smith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sports_TYs_20.
