The 75 greatest NBA players of the 2010s, ranked

72) Roy Hibbert

7'2 big man Roy Hibbert had an interesting 2010s. At one point, he was one of the better big men in the NBA, thanks to his elite rim protection, which anchored one of the best teams in the league. The Indiana Pacers led the league in defensive rating in 2013–14 and 2014–15, with Hibbert finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 14–15.

With an elite defensive lineup led by Hibbert as well as Paul George, the Pacers made the East semi-finals and back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals. Each time they went up against the trio of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, they served as the only real competition for the super team in their conference. While the Pacers came up short each time, Hibbert did help them defensively by warding off drives to the rim. Of course, the Heat inadvertently helped end Hibbert's career.

They began playing small ball by moving Bosh up to center, adding more shooting and mobility to their starting lineup. Other teams followed and began sliding power forwards up to the center position and small forwards up to the power forward spot.

Three years after finishing second in DPOY voting, he was out of the league. All told, Hibbert averaged 10.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 592 games during the 2010s while making two all-star teams, making him worthy of inclusion.