NBA Draft: Re-drafting the 2008 NBA Draft’s first round

#16 Pick – Philadelphia 76ers: Roy Hibbert (Originally: Marreese Speights)

Roy Hibbert often gets torn apart due to how fast his downfall was, but it’s important to not underestimate his years with the Indiana Pacers. He started at center for a team that reached back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.

Hibbert was essentially a double-double machine for his short time in Indiana, and the 2012-13 playoffs were an absolute outbreak for him. Throughout the 19 games, Hibbert averaged 17.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game with a 51.1 percent field goal percentage.

This was one of the main reasons why his drop-off with the Los Angeles Lakers, and later the Charlotte Hornets, caused such an uproar among fans.

People truly started to believe he was this same player in Indiana but was just surrounded by better talent in a better system. As much talent as those Pacers teams possessed, Hibbert was incredible inside and had some really strong years.

Hibbert hasn’t played in an NBA game since 2017 where he got traded to the Denver Nuggets and eventually had his rights renounced in the following offseason.

As much as Hibbert had a shortened career, his productive years in Indiana still makes him a valuable pick. His ability to stay in the league does hurt him in this re-draft, but how solid he was in his prime still keeps him at No. 16.