Candace Buckner

candace.buckner@indystar.com

The men in the middle become the center of attention in the third installment of the 2013-14 Indiana Pacers positional analysis.

Position analysis: Power forward was team's most consistent spot

Position analysis: Point guard inconsistency plagued Pacers

ROY HIBBERT

When it comes to pure defensive impact, no one did it better than Indiana Pacers' sixth-year center Roy Hibbert. Even as his blocks per game dipped as the season dragged on — Hibbert averaged 2.3 blocks, fourth in the league — he produced one of the best defensive rating, 95.9 (the number of points allowed per 100 possessions while he's on the court according to nba.com), among regular rotational players in the NBA. Also, Hibbert led all rim protectors, only allowing opponents to shoot 41.9 percent at the basket.

The Pacers had the best team defense in the league because of Hibbert. So, due to the Pacers' best conference record and standing as league's top defense, coaches rewarded Hibbert with his second All-Star appearance. Hibbert also earned All-Defensive Second Team.

However, it was the other end of the court that stripped some of the shine from this All-Star season.

Hibbert finished the regular season with a scoring average of 10.8 points on .439 shooting, the lowest percentage of his career. The 7-2 Hibbert relied on the post-up (514 plays), but only produced a successful score 42.2 percent of the time, according to Synergy Sports.

And despite being one of the tallest centers in the league, Hibbert regularly strayed farther from the basket. He attempted 237 shots from the restricted area (the half circle located four feet away from the basket) compared to 239 shots from mid-range.

Hibbert's rebounding numbers were also perplexing. For the first time in four seasons, Hibbert (6.6 rebounds) did not lead the team. That honor belonged to 6-5 Lance Stephenson, the No. 1 rebounding guard in the NBA with an average of 7.2. Hibbert grabbed at least 10 rebounds 19 times this season, again, second to Stephenson's 21.

The idea of Stephenson "stealing rebounds" — crashing the glass and securing the missed shot when a teammate was already in position — was a popular explanation as to why Hibbert's numbers lagged behind. However, Hibbert still could have controlled his own aggressiveness.

In February, the start of his statistical decline, Hibbert grabbed 15.4 percent of the available defensive rebounds. By March, his worst month of the season, Hibbert's defensive rebounding percentage dropped to 10.3. This lack of production carried over into the first round of the playoffs when Hibbert could not make his usual defensive impact against the 3-point shooting Atlanta Hawks. Hibbert averaged only 21.9 minutes in the first round as he slowly eroded from the Pacers' crunch time rotation.

After the Pacers survived the seven-game series against the lowest-seeded playoff team, Hibbert bounced back with a strong performance against Washington (averaged 30 minutes, 12.3 points on 54.9 percent shooting and 2.0 blocks) but did not rediscover his 2013 form against Miami in the conference finals. This year, Hibbert averaged 12 fewer points (10.8), nearly three less rebounds (7.7) and five fewer minutes (34.7) as the Pacers bowed out in six games.

IAN MAHINMI

Mahinmi performed as another defensive-focused center for the Pacers. While Hibbert led the team in blocks, Mahinmi stuffed a career-high 72 this season while averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Though Mahinmi never presented himself as much of an offensive presence, sometimes even existing as a black hole as he turned the ball over on 18.9 percent of the plays in which he was involved, he did show improvement through the final three months. Coincidentally or not, around the time the Pacers brought in Andrew Bynum as Mahinmi's potential replacement, he picked up the production. After the Feb. 1 addition of Bynum, Mahinmi transformed himself into a more reliable option on the offensive end and his shooting percentages improved each month.

LAVOY ALLEN/ANDREW BYNUM

While Allen appeared in 14 regular-season games after he arrived in Indiana as part of the Danny Granger-Evan Turner trade, Bynum was the enigma wrapped in ice bags.

Bynum, who the team signed as a free agent after his failed Cleveland stint, played a total of 35 minutes for the Pacers. In those two brief appearances against Boston and Detroit, Bynum looked as good as advertised and worth the $1 million risk as he scored in the post and ate up rebounds like no other center on roster.

Against Boston on March 11, Bynum scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds. During the team's comeback win in Detroit on March 15, Bynum attempted 18 shots, finished with 15 points and flirted with a double-double again with nine rebounds. Then, the oft-injured 7-footer hit the inactive list and the Bynum experiment was over.

"The Andrew Bynum deal, you have to take a shot," Pacers team president of basketball operations Larry Bird said. "He just played 20-something games in Cleveland. Good kid, really enjoyed him. I was around him quite a bit. In the Detroit game, he tweaked something in his knee, his so-called good knee, and went ahead and played through it and couldn't keep the swelling down.

"To me," Bird continued on about why he signed Bynum in spite of the injury cloud, "that was a no-brainer move."

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.