In an offseason when eight-figure contracts were handed out with reckless abandon, Hibbert quietly agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal to head across the country to Charlotte. Hibbert's reputation as one of the NBA's premier defenders has certainly faded, and he's coming off of the worst statistical season of his career by a fair margin. The two-time All-Star started 81 games for the Lakers in 2015-16, but averaged just 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game. Hibbert converted only 44.3 percent of his career-low 5.1 field-goal attempts per game en route to posting an 11.2 PER, also a career worst. A change of scenery should do Hibbert some good, but he won't be guaranteed a significant role in a frontcourt that already features Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky and Spencer Hawes. Zeller started most of last season and had his best year as a pro, while both Kaminsky and Hawes offer the floor spacing that Hibbert doesn't. As a result, Hibbert may have trouble carving out anything more than a consistent, but reduced role off the bench.
Despite his standing as an elite defensive center, Hibbert played just 25 minutes per game last season in Indiana, his lowest amount of playing time since 2009-10. In his 76 games, Hibbert averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks, shooting 45 percent from the field and 82 percent from the line. Indiana were looking to minimize Hibbert's role this season before they agreed to send him to Los Angeles, and that trade should benefit Hibbert and his fantasy value. With only Robert Sacre and Tarik Black at the center position on the depth chart, Hibbert should see more minutes than with the Pacers, and that may enable him to increase his fantasy value. Hibbert ranked eighth in the NBA in block percentage last season, ahead of notable shot blockers Nerlens Noel and Andre Drummond, and was a top-20 player in defensive rating as well, meaning that he can be useful for a Lakers team that is not well-endowed with defensive talent. At his peak in 2012-13, Hibbert was averaging 11.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, and heading into just his eighth season, a bounce-back could be in the cards.
Hibbert heads into the 2014-15 season with his sights set on redeeming himself following epicly disastrous playoff struggles that left a black mark on his entire 2013-14 season. Even before his playoff descent into mediocrity, Hibbert suffered a drop-off in every meaningful category during the regular season, as he watched his scoring average drop from 11.9 to 10.7 points per game, his rebounding fall from 8.3 to 6.6 per game, and his blocks dip from 2.6 to 2.2 per game. The 7-2 center will try to rebound from his tumultuous 2013-14 season, and he should see plenty of opportunities to do so, as coach Frank Vogel plans to run the offense primarily through Hibbert and power forward David West in the absence of leading scorer Paul George (broken leg). This should give the big man plenty of opportunities to improve upon his scoring average, but playing defense will once again be his top priority. There's nowhere to go but up for Hibbert, and if fantasy owners in your league are greatly discounting him due to last season's regression, there could be room to profit.
The 2012-13 campaign was a tale of two halves for Hibbert. Prior to the All-Star break, the Pacers big man averaged just 10.0 points while shooting 41 percent from the floor and 69 percent from the charity stripe. Hibbert attributed the slow start to a right wrist injury, which forced him to shoot left handed on a more regular basis. The wrist woes faded as the season progressed, and Hibbert ended up playing arguably the best basketball of his career by the end of the season. The 26-year-old center averaged 15.7 points in the final 26 games of the regular season and erupted for averages of 17.0 points and 9.9 rebounds in 19 playoff games. He also finished the year with a career-high 2.6 blocks per game, cementing himself as one of the better shot blockers in the league. In hopes of building on his late-season surge, Hibbert worked alongside Tim Duncan this offseason to refine his offensive skills. Now healthy, Hibbert should be able to avoid an early-season slump and put himself in a position to post some of the better numbers of his career.
After years of hype, Hibbert finally cemented himself in as a reliable fantasy option in 2011-12. On the way to his first All-Star appearance, Hibbert put together career-high averages of 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while playing 30 minutes per game. He also improved his efficiency, shooting a personal best 49.7 percent from the floor while hitting 71.1 percent of his freebies. As a reward for his stellar season, the Pacers recognized Hibbert as one of the team’s primary building blocks this summer and inked him to a four-year, $58-million deal. At 25, Hibbert is just entering his prime. He has shown steady improvement in his low-post game on both ends of the court, developing a decent jump hook while getting better at protecting the rim on defense. The fifth-year center has also shown strides in the mental aspect of his game by committing fewer fouls, which has led to additional playing time. Given his age and year-to-year improvements over the past three seasons, we probably haven’t seen the best from Hibbert yet. Take that into consideration when targeting him in drafts.
Hibbert was one of the more hyped up fantasy sleepers heading into the 2010-11 season. While he didn’t exactly explode onto the scene, the 25-year-old big man out of Georgetown finished his third season with averages of 12.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while playing under 28 minutes per game. He proved to be a solid free throw shooter (74.6) for a big man, but his 46.1 success rate from the floor leaves a lot to be desired. Hibbert often appears to lack motivation on the court, which leads to missed defensive assignments and unnecessary fouls. To live up to his full potential, Hibbert will need to play smarter and stay out of foul trouble. The Pacers are a young team with numerous players who could develop into building blocks, but Hibbert is the lone true center on the roster, so he should continue to have plenty of opportunities going forward. He’s not consistent enough at this stage of his career to anchor a fantasy team’s frontcourt, but Hibbert is a quality piece who has the upside to develop into a nightly double-double threat with solid defensive production.
Hibbert put himself on the fantasy scene during his sophomore season last year, averaging 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 blocks. For someone 7-2, 278, those rebounding numbers are unimpressive, but Hibbert is still developing, and he should improve in that area if only because he should see increased playing time in the future (25:06 mpg last year). Moreover, the Pacers lost Troy Murphy during the offseason, so Hibbert is going to be asked to take more responsibility for rebounding duties. The team brought in Bill Walton over the summer to help work on Hibbert's low post game, which should theoretically help. Foul trouble has also plagued Hibbert during his young career, so he'll need to improve his footwork if he wants to see more time on the floor. Hibbert doesn't offer a ton of upside, but he's locked in as Indiana's starting center and should improve during his third year in the league.
Hibbert experienced the typical ebbs and flows of a rookie big man in the NBA, occasionally displaying some promise, especially defensively, but all too often he'd fall into foul trouble or out of coach Jim O'Brien's rotation entirely. With Nasho Resterovic gone, there's one fewer player to cut into Hibbert's time. There's a scenario out there where Hibbert could become a 10-10 guy, but a lot of things will have to fall into place first.
Hibbert is a traditional back-to-basket center offensively, and a superb shot-blocker on the other end. But he stagnated a bit between his junior and senior seasons at Georgetown, in particular failing to develop that much offensively. There's a risk that he won't be athletic enough to handle opposing big men in the NBA and could be raw in his rookie season. Don't be surprised if he's chained to the bench early on.
Hibbert is a traditional back-to-basket center offensively, and a superb shot-blocker on the other end. But he stagnated a bit between his junior and senior seasons at Georgetown, in particular failing to develop that much offensively. There's a risk that he won't be athletic enough to handle opposing big men in the NBA and could be raw in his rookie season. Don't be surprised if he's chained to the bench early on.
