Lottery Spotlight: Roy Hibbert
Authored by Kostas Bolos - 21st May, 2007 - 12:18 pm
![](http://www.realgm.com/images/nba/4.2/wiretap/photos/2006/Hibbert_Roy_ncaa_070331.jpg)
Name: Roy Hibbert
Age: 20
Height: 7-2
Weight: 265
College: Georgetown (Jr.)
Strengths/Weaknesses: Roy Hibbert is a solid big man with tremendous size and strength around the basket. His size makes him a monster on the boards and allows him to play physical defense while filling the lane and blocking shots. On offense, he has a soft touch and good footwork, and his work ethic and intelligence have allowed him to improve his scoring every season. His jump hooks and 10-foot jumpers will be tough for NBA defenders to stop due to his size and wingspan.
His basketball IQ has increased every season and is maturing as a leader on the floor. His quick decision making has enabled him to be effective passing the ball out of the post, and with some coaching, he can eventually turn into a block player who can determine the tempo of the offense.
However, along with his enormous size comes decreased athleticism. Despite having good instincts and footwork on offense, he still lacks quickness and notably speed down the court in transition. At age 20, he is still growing into his massive frame. He also does not play as effectively with rougher big men covering him. His toughness is suspect and he needs to add some muscle to develop into a dominating post player. Once he gains confidence in his strength and size, he will be able to elevate his game and begin attacking the rim and throwing down dunks left and right in the NBA.
Marquee Performances: Hibbert was often the largest player on the court, and usually he had his way with smaller centers in college. However, going to the NBA, he will face plenty of seven-footers, all of which will bring more aggression and toughness than anyone in the college game. However, his draft stock was solidified after he put up a very solid 19 points on 9 of 13 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in 24 minutes against heralded defensive stopper and projected number-one overall pick Greg Oden in the Final Four semifinal versus Ohio State.
This, along with solid games against shot blocking specialist Sean Williams of
Boston College (17 pts, 12 reb, 2 blks) in the second round of the NCAA tournament and another against Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament finals (18 pts, 12 reb, 1 blk, 8 of 10 shooting).
Ideal Fit: Hibbert is an effective low block player. He is a traditional center with a back-to-the-basket repertoire that rivals any other player in this year’s draft. With some added muscle and increased speed and athleticism, he can become a dominant performer in the NBA. The style of play that he would fit best into is a team that runs a half court offense that allows entry passes in to the Big Fella. That way, he can punish opposing centers with his scoring ability or kick it out to an open wing man with his superior passing skills when he feels the double team coming.
A team with much needed frontcourt post scoring such as the
Chicago Bulls ,
Atlanta Hawks , or even the
Washington Wizards , especially if the team is able to trade disgruntled center
Brendan Haywood away before the draft. Inserting him next to a rebounding and defensive machine would be an ideal fit, especially alongside
Ben Wallace in
Chicago or
Josh Howard and Sheldon Williams in
Atlanta. He is likely to go in the Lottery, so expect him to be gone before the
Wizards select with the sixteenth pick. The
Bulls and
Hawks would be foolish to pass on this prospect, depending on where they end up after the May 22 Lottery.
Another interesting scenario to watch for could be a potential deal made by the Dallas Mavericks to obtain a pick to secure Hibbert. As the Mavericks have demonstrated in the past by dealing Antawn Jamison to Washington for the number five overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft in order to select speedy point guard Devin Harris, they are not afraid to take a gamble on a young player with upside. Currently on the precipice of a potential roster shakeup, the Mavericks could rid themselves of the oft-ineffective Erick Dampier and instead pair Hibbert on the block with DaSagana Diop to perform one of the most intimidating frontcourt defensive tandems. Adding Hibbert also gives Dallas a low post presence it has been lacking, with great perimeter players to feed while utilizing his passing abilities.
Best Case: Rony Seikaly
A slower paced center who can put up 15 and 10 every night with 2 blocks and assists, while commanding double teams and feeding guards with quick crisp passes.
Worst Case: Michael Olowokandi
A complete waste of size and college-dominating talents and ability, ultimately leading to a journeyman career with contracts coming only as a result of league-wide need for big men.
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