5. Serge Ibaka stepped up when needed most
Ever since his final days with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Serge Ibaka’s game has been on a slow decline. Once one of the most feared shot-blockers in the game, he turned more of his attention to the offensive end in the hopes of becoming a viable threat.
This past season actually turned out to be a revelation for Ibaka, who was coming off his lowest scoring average since year three. For the first time in his career, he fully embraced his role as a small-ball center, with 97.0 percent of his minutes coming from that position. The change led to his highest scoring and rebounding season in four years and helped Toronto whenever Kawhi was managing his load.
In helping the Raptors to the Finals, Ibaka continued his stellar play. He averaged just 9.0 points per game over the first three rounds, but also chipped in 7.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in less than 28 minutes of nightly action.
For as much talent as Golden State possessed, it was stretching noticeably thin up front in the Finals. Kevon Looney was battling through injury and DeMarcus Cousins had just recently returned after a month-long absence following a torn quad in the opening round.
In the six-game victory, Ibaka shot 56.0 percent on his way to 11.3 points per game, highlighted by a 9-for-12, 20-point outing in a crucial Game 4 victory. He also put in 7.3 boards and 1.7 blocks a night, most noticeably in a Game 3 win where he registered six blocks off the bench.
He was not the player he once was as a young pup growing up in Oklahoma City, nor was he the most impactful on Toronto’s roster. Even so, Ibaka was exactly what the Raptors needed and produced accordingly in some of the biggest moments of his career to help bring home the championship.