Serge Ibaka

[Canomad]

he was brought up on the draft board with people saying he would be the number 1 pick in this draft. alot of people in that thread think he has potential to be a really good nba player. do the thunder bank on him for the powerforward/center of the future and draft harden at 3 to sure up the backcourt? it seems like that would be the smart move if hes the prospect that some think he is. what are some thunder fans opinions on this.

[Clangus]

some people are over-rating him.

He has no real jumper to speak of.
He is an athletic freak...seriously freakish.
He has the potential to be something very special, but isn't at the moment. I dont believe we are banking on him being anything. i don't even think he'll play major minutes this season...if he even makes it over. He's coming for the summer league. We'll know a little more then. But at the moment he is getting by on sheer athleticism, which is because athleticism isn't exactly abundant in the Spanish league (at least not as much as the NBA, College of DLeague - IMO)

[mattle]

He can dunk in the open court. And he is an athletic freak. It stops there.

I haven't seen anything that leads me to believe he can break into the Thunder's top 12 rotation. I doubt he plays this year. But we will know more after he plays summer ball, but my guess is that it will be more of the same; great dunks but disappears during the "basketball" portion of the game.

[wiff]

I think the #1 overall pick would be a large stretch, but I have said this before I think he has a chance to be the best rookie on this team.

He didn't just start to play basketball 3 or 4 years ago like Sene did before he was drafted. He has been playing ball since he was a kid.

He has a lot of positives that can make him a decent player in the league. These are all of his strengths listed at Draft Express.

- Lateral quickness
- Shot-blocking skills
- Shot-blocking tools
- Energy/Intensity
- Potential
- Work ethic
- High-level productivity
- Ability to finish around basket
- Freakish athleticism
- Wingspan
- 3-point range
- Perimeter shooting ability

Notice the last two? It is noted a few places that he had the largest vertical leap out of all the draft picks last year. Including Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.

With Ibaka being developed in the background I wouldn't be shocked to see the Thunder draft Harden or another wing with intentions on this kid making the squad and actually getting minutes.

As it was mentioned on the NBA Draft board, Ibaka numbers if averaged to 30 minutes a night he would have averaged a double double. He played pretty competitive pro league. The same one Rubio played/plays in.

Part of me last draft kind of thought that maybe this kid is an insurance policy if Jeff Green ends up not being the best option at PF in a couple years.

[slick_watts]

serge ibaka is not a good shooter. he made zero threes and gets almost all of his points near the basket.

that must be a typo.

[wiff]

serge ibaka is not a good shooter. he made zero threes and gets almost all of his points near the basket.

that must be a typo.

Well http://www.nbadraft.net wrote this about his strengths

Strengths: A tremendous athlete blessed with insane length and leaping ability Conjures up memories of Shawn Kemp. Ibaka reportedly had a higher vertical than any of the players drafted in the 2007 draft. Which is extremely unusual for a taller player Despite his immense physical gifts, Ibaka hustles at all times and works hard on his game showing a lot of improvement in a short time He's currently playing in Spain for L'Hospitalet Has solid footwork in the post, and an improving turn around jumper He can even extend out to the 3 pt line and knock down shots on occaision Has the tools to become a first round pick in the next year, as he is not far from having an NBA ready body, and plays hard He's relentless on the boards and his length and athleticism makes him a formidable shot blocker Has good touch on his shot, and solid mechanics, he just needs to become more comfortable with his offensive game so it becomes second nature

His jump shot is also ranked a "7" out of 10.

I'm not shocked he didn't make any 3's, I doubt he takes many.

[wiff]

Actually he shot 25% from the 3pt line this past season going 1-4. He also shot 55% from the field.
and 72% from the line.

I don't expect the guy to be Chuck "The Riffleman" Person but I think the guy can shoot a little better than what people are giving him credit for.

[sonic-ben]

serge ibaka is not a good shooter. he made zero threes and gets almost all of his points near the basket.

that must be a typo.

Powerforward .... Who want a three point shooter at POWERFORWARD

I know Slick watts and I want a dominint rebounding, shot blocking , defensive Powerforward that can dunk put backs

and if He does that and score with his back to the basket ... Awesome

[Hiphophead101]

Remember when people were saying Gelebale was worth a lotto pick the year after we took him?

Funny how things turn out with overseas prospects. Ya never fckn know....

[Durantist]

serge ibaka is not a good shooter. he made zero threes and gets almost all of his points near the basket.

that must be a typo.

Powerforward .... Who want a three point shooter at POWERFORWARD

I know Slick watts and I want a dominint rebounding, shot blocking , defensive Powerforward that can dunk put backs

and if He does that and score with his back to the basket ... Awesome

Wiff is just trying to explain to you guys that Ibaka has been playing ball for years, not an ordinary tall athletic project in the making, Ibaka has "SKILLS", and to my understanding shooting requires skills! I got your back on this Wiff.

[Hiphophead101]

Shawn Kemp comparisons need to stop too... This guy is nowhere NEAR as strong as Kemp was... Kemp was a freight train. Kemp weighed 260 lbs and was only 6'8.75". Serge Ibaka is 6'10" 220 lbs.
How is he going to throw down monster dunks like Kemp did? The fact that people think of the guy who posted that as an opinion leader bothers me greatly.

[slick_watts]

nobody that's posted here has seen ibaka play. all of the comments are either based on statistical, second hand, or anecdotal information. the same draft sites that are claiming serge ibaka has talent shooting the ball are the ones who touted deshawn stevenson as the next jordan. his stat line is decent for the league and minutes he plays, but how meaningful are stat lines from foreign leagues? it's a tenuous subject.

the clips we've seen of him dunking the ball are nice but they leave out all the mistakes he's probably making, all the times he probably gets pushed around under the basket, and there was conspicuously little shooting from a guy who's supposed to be a good shooter. there's some potential and that's obvious, and his numbers are obviously decent for his minutes and role. other than that there is very little to comment on.

[Genjuro]

Guys, Ibaka was able to shoot the ball. But for a big man who is not a defined shooter, shooting the ball often depends on your role in the team. This past season Ibaka's role in the team was to play near the basket, and apparently didn't enjoyed much freedom to shoot the ball.

Stuff like this happens all the time. Splitter used to be a shooting big man as a teenager, but now he wouldn't be able to knock a mid-ranger to save his life. Fran Vázquez used to rely a lot on his mid-range stroke, and now he mostly produces off dunks and layups. Pau Gasol was a pretty nice three-point shooter back in Spain, and he has struggled for some seasons in the NBA with his jumper (although this season he's emerging more reliable).

I think Ibaka should be able to provide some intimidation and athleticism off the bench for the Thunder. He's far from being a mature player, he needs to develop his skill repertoire, but you guys have a talented perimeter, and could use a complimentary guy like him, perhaps next to Krstic.

[wizkid27]

So all things considered (buy-out, current Thunder roster, Ibaka's level of play), what're the chances that this guy ends up playing for us next year? I'm putting it at about a 1 in 3 chance... but that's just a shot in the dark, as I don't know a ton about him.

[frangs]

I am sure physical condition won't be a concern:

[big L]

The good thing is we'll see him play this summer and all this speculation will get whittled down to something more reasonable.