10 NBA players approaching their last chance in 2017-18
2. Roy Hibbert
It was only 2013-14 that Roy Hibbert was the defensive centerpiece of the top-seeded Indiana Pacers. Three seasons later, he’s played brief stints for three new teams, and each new stop has been more disappointing than the last.
In 2015-16, he played 81 games for the Los Angeles Lakers and did nothing to prevent their defense from ranking dead last in the association in defensive rating. His numbers shrank to 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, but that was only the beginning.
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In 2016-17 he signed with the Charlotte Hornets, and despite a promising debut, he’d post 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in only 16 minutes per game over his 42 appearances. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets in February, and only suited up in six games behind Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee.
Currently unsigned, there doesn’t appear to be much interest in the former Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Maybe someone desperate for a backup at center will consider him at some point in 2017-18, but as he approaches his 31st birthday in December, it doesn’t appear as though there’s a place in the modern NBA for Hibbert.