Serge Ibaka Injury: Not All Doom And Gloom

To say the Oklahoma City Thunder have been struck by an injury bug this season would be an understatement. Seriously, it’s been brutal. First Kevin Durant injured his foot before the season even got started and missed the first 15 games of the new campaign.

That was then soon followed by Russell Westbrook missing time as well after getting injured in the second game of the year and the Thunder found themselves in an uphill battle at 3-12.

Somehow, OKC has managed to claw their way back into the eighth and final seed for the playoffs in the Western Conference. However every time they seem to be getting on a roll, they seem to get blindsided.

Durant has been limited to just 27 of the 68 games this season with his return date still a huge question mark, and the latest setback has been the injuries to his backcourt partners, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter.

Kanter rolled his ankle in the latter stages of the bout against the Boston Celtics and his return date hasn’t been set yet, but he shouldn’t be out for too long. Ibaka, on the other hand, has a pretty long road ahead due to surgery in order to remedy the soreness he was feeling in his knee.

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And while he is the team’s third best player behind Durant and Westbrook, a case could be made that his absence will be felt a heck of a lot more – especially on the defensive end.

Ibaka is a shot blocking machine who is right up there at the top of the list among the game’s best rim protectors. Case in point: he hasn’t finished outside of the top three in blocks per game in each of the last five seasons.

Furthermore, we saw just how valuable he was during the Western Conference Finals match-up against the San Antonio Spurs last year. The Thunder got obliterated in the opening two games without him but came roaring back in the next two and made it difficult for the eventual champions.

So without Serge Ibaka patrolling the paint, OKC’s interior defense will be much less intimidating and teams will have more joy inside the lane.

Having said, Ibaka’s injury could offer a great opportunity for several members of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jan 18, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and forward Serge Ibaka (9) against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 127-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

With two of the team’s top three players out, the onus is on Russell Westbrook to the lead the troops and carry them to the promised land. In other words, his already neon green light just got a whole lot brighter. Plus, it would do him a great deal of good in the MVP race if he is able to lead the team into the post season while his co-stars are ailing.

After all, everyone loves a feel good story – particularly one where all the chips are seemingly stacked against the hero (or in this case, the star player).

As well as Westbrook, Ibaka’s fellow big men could be benefactors because it offers them a chance to present their case. Since trading for Kanter and Mitch McGary flying in out of nowhere to become a contributor, there is some slight overcrowding in the Oklahoma City Thunder frontcourt.

And without Serge Ibaka, the Thunder still have Kanter, McGary, Steven Adams and Nick Collison to fill in the vacated big man post. However, since he is guaranteed to have his starting role and minutes back upon return, one (or maybe even two) of these players will be cast off to the side, so the pressure is on to impress while they still can.

And last but not least, Serge Ibaka’s injury presents a great opportunity for head coach Scott Brooks. Time and time again, he has been on the receiving end of criticism because the majority of people seem to believe he is the product of his talented players, not the other way round.

If Oklahoma City was to make the playoffs despite their star players spending most of the season on the treatment table, then surely Brooks has to get his props, right?

After all, he has molded a lot of these players and managed to keep the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season afloat when, by all accounts, they should be preparing for the Draft Lottery, considering how injury-laden the team has been.

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