Raptors fan here...is Ibaka going to live up to our fanbase's hype?

Caboclo · Post #1 » by **Caboclo** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:43 pm

To those of you who have paid a close eye to Ibaka this season, do you think there is a possibility of him ever getting any better (of course not like his OKC days)...or will he continue to decline?

The raptors board has a strong feeling that Ibaka is a match made in heaven for the weaknesses of our team and we and now pretty well-rounded (but still with a terrible coach)

What small things should Raptors fan know about ibaka that may not be covered by the media?

Thanks guys!

NEM · Post #2 » by **NEM** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:52 pm

His help defense is good. His rebounding is atrocious. He started the season slow, but I think that's his thing according to OKC fans. He's a goodnto great shooter and is a good finisher at the rim. He should be good for you guys, but he definitely isn't worth the money that he will get paid, at least not to us. Best of luck.

Oh and I firmly believe that he is not his listed age. Maybe 2 or 3 years older. His athleticism isn't what it used to be.

Post #3 » by **SOUL** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:55 pm

It depends where and what you do with him and your schemes. Vogel was supposed to be a great defensive coach and Ibaka didn't really do well here in that regard. He's good at challenging shots when he wants to but often looked slow or just let people run by him.

He will space the floor and hit a lot of threes for you at a good clip. He's also good around the basket and mid-range, so pretty much anywhere he is a scoring threat.

He isn't a great passer but he can kick it back out if he's doubled.

His rebounding is a little underwhelming.

Lowry and DeRozan will draw a lot more attention than anybody on our team, so he should be able to make a big impact... but there are some clear areas where he has declined and isn't the springy athlete he was just a few years ago.

Mauro Pedrosa · Post #4 » by **Mauro Pedrosa** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:57 pm

He should be playing the 5 but he doesn't want to. He's a little too slow for some PFs out there but a great shot blocker and very underrated shooter

NEM · Post #5 » by **NEM** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:00 am

Yeah he'd be a terrific 5. Given his age and the way the NBA is going, he just isn't fast enough to be a 4 anymore.

Clementine64 · Post #6 » by **Clementine64** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:06 am

Casey will play him at the 5 in the 4th Q with the inevitable JV benching.

The biggest needs we have are help defense and rebounding. Sounds like he can only do one of two so that's disappointing since he will be paired up with an even worse rebounder in Patterson to close out games.

Post #7 » by **ChosenSavior** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:11 am

Overrated one-on-one defender, very good weak-side shot blocker, excellent mid range shooter and 3pt shooter, below average rebounder in traffic. That about sums him up. He'll get easier looks with Lowry and Derozan commanding the defensive attention.

Last Guardian · Post #8 » by **Last Guardian** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:17 am

He isn't a good defender overall and a bad rebounder. He is a great role player on offense though.

Skin · Post #9 » by **Skin** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:22 am

Play him at the 5. You will have a chance to beat CLE.

Bergmaniac · Post #10 » by **Bergmaniac** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:31 am

Skin wrote:Play him at the 5. You will have a chance to beat CLE.

Thompson will average 20 RPG.

PennytoShaq · Post #11 » by **PennytoShaq** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:32 am

If he agrees to play the 5, you guys will be in good shape. If not, you will wonder why he is not blocking 2 plus a game like he used to.

OrlChamps2030 · Post #12 » by **OrlChamps2030** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 1:52 am

He is underrated offensively. Great shooter.

His defense was a bit underwhelming here, but I suspect he never wanted to be here in the first place and then checked out when he realized he was on one of the worst teams in the league. I expect him to bounce back a bit on that end for you guys. His help D was still solid here

anothermagicfan · Post #13 » by **anothermagicfan** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 2:04 am

2 out of 10 games you guys will be saying wow what a pickup. We're in great shape for the future. 4 out of 10 games you will think he was ok. The other 4 out of 10 games your going to think we gave up ross and a first rounder for that.

Post #14 » by **UCFJayBird** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 2:24 am

He's just not a #1 option, which is not what you need, so he'll probably fit in really well there. He's a great 3rd option, especially with the year he's having from distance. I think the Magic just expected too much out of him, we wanted him to be THE guy and he's not even a real #2. He's not assertive enough offensively, even though his %s are pretty good.

His rebounding and shot blocking have been hugely disappointing. Whatever the reason is he'll never be what he was 3-4 years ago in those areas.

He'll fit really well with Toronto. What will be interesting is to see if you guys hold on to him this summer because he's going to command a pretty good price tag. I imagine Toronto has every intention of keeping him though.

He's a good all around player, he's just not going to blow you away on either end.

MAGICian619 · Post #15 » by **MAGICian619** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:24 am

No he will not be getting any better. You don't improve in your late 30's.

drsd · Post #16 » by **drsd** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:53 am

NEM wrote:Oh and I firmly believe that he is not his listed age. Maybe 2 or 3 years older. His athleticism isn't what it used to be.

To add here: Ibaka had a bone scan when in Spain showing he was about 18 years old. Those scans mean he was certainly less than 20, but he could very easily be 1 or maybe even 2 years older than his listed age.

..

DiplomaticMagic · Post #17 » by **DiplomaticMagic** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:07 am

Ibaka started off slow the first few games, but after a couple weeks I thought he was an absolute beast for us, especially on offense. Defensively, was a little bit disappointing but he's still a great help defender and competitive when he's engaged.

It was when he got hurt in the Laker game, I sensed his effort went down a notch. Mightve been because he was hurt, might've been because of trade rumors, might've been because of the losing. But I really expect him to thrive in Toronto. Feels like a perfect fit for him.

pepe1991 · Post #18 » by **pepe1991** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:50 am

Good things: his catch and shoot, help defense, from time to time highlight block
Bad: can't pass, won't pass, takes kind a bad shots from mid range, medicore defender, awful rebounder for position

Skybox · Post #19 » by **Skybox** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:05 pm

Zmill wrote:He is underrated offensively. Great shooter.

His defense was a bit underwhelming here, but I suspect he never wanted to be here in the first place and then checked out when he realized he was on one of the worst teams in the league. I expect him to bounce back a bit on that end for you guys. His help D was still solid here

I think the Orlando opportunity was exciting for him to be featured on offense. He's a great shooter and not terrible in the post. If he gets frozen out by DeRozan and Lowry, he will vanish on D. I believe he got lazy on D here when he saw it was going nowhere...if there's something to fight for (which there should be in Toronto), he's definitely capable of beasting. His effort here, after the first month of competing & finger wagging, was visibly up and down. He started to just shoot 3's and jumpers and rest a bit on D. Reports also suggest he was not connecting with the locker room, his friends were tweeting damaging stuff about Magic, etc. Bad vibes...He, supposedly, got tired of being a distant 3rd option in OKC (which was inevitable with the top 2)...he'll do the same thing if he's not engaged in Toronto.

I have no doubt he has all star capability on both ends, if he's well-positioned and motivated. Could also be a disaster if he gets pouty.Sorry I can't root for you while we have your pick :wink:

tiderulz · Post #20 » by **tiderulz** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:21 pm

Skybox wrote:
Zmill wrote:He is underrated offensively. Great shooter.

His defense was a bit underwhelming here, but I suspect he never wanted to be here in the first place and then checked out when he realized he was on one of the worst teams in the league. I expect him to bounce back a bit on that end for you guys. His help D was still solid here

I think the Orlando opportunity was exciting for him to be featured on offense. He's a great shooter and not terrible in the post. If he gets frozen out by DeRozan and Lowry, he will vanish on D. I believe he got lazy on D here when he saw it was going nowhere...if there's something to fight for (which there should be in Toronto), he's definitely capable of beasting. His effort here, after the first month of competing & finger wagging, was visibly up and down. He started to just shoot 3's and jumpers and rest a bit on D. Reports also suggest he was not connecting with the locker room, his friends were tweeting damaging stuff about Magic, etc. Bad vibes...He, supposedly, got tired of being a distant 3rd option in OKC (which was inevitable with the top 2)...he'll do the same thing if he's not engaged in Toronto.

I have no doubt he has all star capability on both ends, if he's well-positioned and motivated. Could also be a disaster if he gets pouty.Sorry I can't root for you while we have your pick

no, he is absolutely terrible in the post. Zero post game.