Pacers Desperately Need All-Star Roy Hibbert Back

The Indiana Pacers are heading into what is expected to be a rough season due to the losses of Lance Stephenson and Paul George, but there are still fans that are holding onto hope that the team can figure things out and make a run at the playoffs.

Roy Hibbert ended last season in disappointing fashion, and lost any value that he had across the league. The Pacers still saw their big man make the All-Star game last year, and the first half of the season he was one of the leading candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Indiana desperately needs that Hibbert to come back this season to have any chance at a playoff appearance.

There are many analysts and fans that aren’t expecting much from Hibbert, but he has shown a different type of game so far in preseason action. He has been much quicker on his feet already in his first few games, and has shown much more confident post moves as well. Frank Vogel’s new offense is a much better fit for Hibbert, and it allows him to get the number of touches that he has been wanting.

So the question then becomes, what must Hibbert do in order to continue the success that he has had this preseason?

Quite simply, he has to remain confident and keep his head up throughout the entire season. It has been very well noted that he has a bad tendency of getting down on himself, which is one of the reasons for his struggles last year. The Pacers need him to know that he is one of their cornerstone players, and that he needs to have the mindset of one at all times.

Perhaps the biggest thing that needs to happen is that the team as a whole has to return to playing team basketball. It was obvious that the team fell apart at the end of last season, and individual players began getting upset with other individual players. That type of thing cannot happen this year, and Hibbert has acknowledged that he was part of it and it needs to stop.

Defensively, Hibbert needs to remain active and continue defending the rim like he has throughout the majority of his career. Once he got down on himself last year, he stopped being active and began showing a lack of care about defense. If the Pacers are going to make a run at a playoff seed in a much improved Eastern Conference, they are going to need their rim protector to help out.

Hibbert will also be asked to step up as a leader for the team alongside of power forward David West. Hibbert is one of the main veterans on the team that has been with this team from the beginning, and he needs to act like it. There are plenty of players on the Pacers that simply haven’t had large roles in the past, and they will need guidance and leadership to help them succeed.

All of that being said, there are quite a few things that must be done by Hibbert this season. Indiana has enough talent to make a run at the playoffs, but they will only go as far as their veteran starters take them. Hibbert has shown the All-Star potential, and they need that from him for a complete season this year.

It’s going to be very difficult for Hibbert to battle through all of the attention that will be thrown his way, but the work he did this offseason has him more prepared than ever. He has seemingly improved most of the areas that desperately needed help last season, and his outlook looks very good.

Expect to see a much more involved Hibbert this year, and to see him perform up to the level that he has shown in the past.

Evan Massey is a Staff Writer for HoopsHabit.com.