Roy Hibbert and His Struggles Holding the Pacers Back

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In April of 2013, Roy Hibbert was on the rise. By May, many had noticed his terrific play. After Hibbert led the Pacers past the New York Knicks and forced a seven game series against the Miami Heat, many considered Hibbert a star and one of the best centers in the league. Nearly one year later, Hibbert is quickly falling and doing the exact opposite of what he did last year. Hibbert has struggled recently, and now with the Pacers on the brink of elimination, it may be time to bench or limit Roy Hibbert.

The Atlanta Hawks have contained Roy Hibbert thus far. Hibbert scored 8 points on 4-9 shooting from the court, grabbed 8 rebounds, and turned the ball over 4 times in 29 minutes in a 101-93 Hawks’ win in Game 1. It got worse for Hibbert, as he scored on 6 points (1-7 shooting), grabbed 4 rebounds, and blocked 0 shots in 24 minutes in Game 2, though the Pacers picked up a 101-85 win to even the series. In Game 3, the Pacers lost again, 98-85, and Hibbert struggled again. He scored 4 points (2-9 shooting), grabbed 2 rebounds, and blocked 0 shots again. Remember, Roy Hibbert a 7 foot-2 center, so to finish the game with 0 blocks and 2 rebounds is absolutely pathetic. It did get slightly better for Hibbert in Game 4, as he scored 6 points (3-5 shooting), pulled 3 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots in 24 minutes of play. Indiana would go on to win that game, 91-88, to even the series at two games apiece. Game 5 might have been the worst. Hibbert only received 12 minutes of play, scored no points, grabbed no rebounds, and blocked 1 shot with 4 fouls. The Hawks won Game 5, 107-97, to take a 3-2 series lead over the Pacers.

What’s the problem? There’s a major problem. It hasn’t just been these five games in the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Hawks. It has been the entire season. Hibbert averaged only 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in the regular season. Since when is it acceptable that a 7 foot-2 center that played in the NBA All Star Game a few months ago average under 11 points and 7 rebounds? His defense was great in the regular season, but even his defensive production has dropped off in the playoffs. In the regular season, Hibbert had a defensive rating of 98. So far in the playoffs, Hibbert has a defensive rating of 111, which is significantly worse. The defensive rating is an advanced statistic that estimates the number of points allowed per 100 possessions.

Roy Hibbert’s struggles are extremely obvious. Watch him play and look at his stats and you will see his struggles. Hibbert had a PER (player efficiency rating) of 13.5 in the regular season. So far in the playoffs, his PER is .8. Yes, you read that right. His PER is .8.

Is it time to bench Roy Hibbert? I don’t think the Pacers should bench him just yet, but they may want to limit his minutes. If he starts well in Game 6, I would continue to play him as long he plays well. If he struggles early in Game 6, the Pacers should bench him the rest of the way. Indiana cannot afford to lose, but Hibbert continues to hold them back. If he doesn’t get off to a quick start in Game 6, Hibbert may be benched. Game 6 is on Thursday, May 1st on NBA TV at 7 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.

Stats are via basketball-reference.com, nba.com and espn.go.com.