Roy Hibbert finishes game 3 with 4 points & 3 rebounds
The Roy Hibbert free-fall continues.
As his team needed everything in a fight to remain in the lead for his respective series, Hibbert did little to contribute as the Atlanta Hawks continue to expose him on both ends of the floor. In 20 minutes total, Hibbert finished the 4 points and 3 rebounds. For some perspective, teammate Ian Mahinmi grabbed five total rebounds in the same amount of time and every Atlanta Hawk who touched the floor, nine players to be exact, all grabbed at least two rebounds.
This series, Hibbert hasn’t did anything to help the reputation that is quickly building around him. Can’t contribute on offense. Is a non-factor on the rebounds. And in a series where he can’t matchup with rookie center Pero Antic, making him a non-factor on the defensive end.
Hibbert’s bad play ha s created some conversation on whether Hibbert should start for the remainder of the Hawks series since his impact has been miniscule.
Recently, coaches have made pivotal changes that have saved their teams seasons, so Vogel doing so wouldn’t be unprecedented. Erik Spoelstra inserted Mike Miller into the starting lineup against the Indiana Pacers last season to create more spacing for Lebron James to operate. To adjust to Mike Miller in the starting lineup, Gregg Popovich bench Tiago Splitter in favor of Manu Ginobili to matchup up with Miami’s small-ball lineup. In the 2011 NBA Finals, Rick Carlisle inserted J.J. Barea into the starting lineup, helping the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Heat. These are moves coaches have to make in order to postpone a playoff exit.
For Roy Hibbert, it’s all about finding himself. Maybe the Hawks are just a terrible matchup for him, but if the Pacers want a future, he’s gotta step things up.