NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Centers
By Shane Young
10. Roy Hibbert — Indiana Pacers
If someone 7’2″ can’t learn to have the mind of an adult and a confidence level that doesn’t exemplify a middle-schooler, the proper results will come for Roy Hibbert.
You know what should be Hibbert’s favorite horror movie? Not Halloween. Not Scream. Not The Conjuring. Not The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
It’s the 2013 NBA Playoffs, available on DVD and Blu-ray, for a flat price of $0.00. That’s how many points Hibbert scored in four playoff games, and how many rebounds he grabbed in two games. If you’re playing similar to a top five center during the first half of the regular season, that should never happen. Not once.
Hibbert’s field goal percentage for the first round series vs. Atlanta was a whopping 37.2 percent, while Indiana eventually made it to the East Finals and he shot 41.5 percent vs. Miami.
Why is Hibbert considered a top 10 center?
His defensive prowess at the rim, and institution of the rule of verticality are second to none in the league, when he wants to play that way.
I’m on the edge of believing he uses 2014-15 to bring that hunger back into his large body, and realizes exactly what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar likely told him during their summer practices: You can be the most dominating force in basketball with your play on both ends of the floor, but you first have to develop a go-to move.
If he enters the season the same type of Hibbert Indiana fans wanted to leave on the side of the street, say goodbye to any positive mindset for quite some time.