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Strengths: Athletically, Ibaka is a tremendous leaper capable of providing impressive plays … Defensively, he is blessed with all the physical tools to become an elite defender with a long wing span, explosiveness, foot speed and quick hands … Has shown great improvement on his post footwork since last year … Offensively, he is beginning to put together quality mid-range shooting 18 feet from the basket … Even more impressive is his ability to dribble past power forwards on mismatches … Despite his size Ibaka runs the court effortlessly, which enables him to out run even most guards … Rebounds extremely well out of position thanks to his mobility and long arms … Understands the value of keeping the ball high on put-back attempts … Once in transition his elite athleticism and body control allows for tremendous finishes … Uses his explosiveness and length to disrupt and block shots … Aggressiveness at attacking the basket enables him to create a great amount of contact for free throw opportunities … Has solid value as a help defender with his shot blocking due to his mobility and long arms … Shows signs of a nice turnaround jumper from 15 feet with some success … From a potential standpoint he has yet to scratch the surface of his ability … Plays the game with a great deal of intensity and energy, never seems tired or uninspired … Despite the numbers his mechanics at the free throw show good form … Although still raw from a fundamental point of view, he doesn’t have a lot of bad habits, which should put his development onto a fast track with quality coaching …
Weaknesses: Unlike many of his overseas peers, Ibaka has yet to spend even a year in top level European competition … Struggles to effectively establish good post position without getting pushed out … Some of this could be alleviated if he adds more upper body strength to his physique … To further compound matters, when he is able to post up he doesn’t get his body wide enough, making it difficult for teammates to throw in most passes … Lacks any real resemblance of a back to the basket move other than an occasional jump hook … Prefers to face the basket when the ball is in his hands … Offensive rebounding is a work in progress as he doesn’t box out nearly enough and often finds himself getting out muscled … Defensively, he is still a work in progress - while he has the physical tools he lacks any real fundamentals such as footwork, anticipation, or court awareness … If he isn’t blocking a shot he’s not stopping anyone effectively … Although this isn’t an issue on his current level (because he compensates for any mistakes that occur with his quick recovery) the NBA will be less forgiving … While Ibaka has shown signs of being a perimeter shooter from mid-range he is still far from consistent or comfortable … Prone to mental breakdowns at times which speaks for his need to upgrade his basketball IQ … There is some question as to what position he will be most effective in on the NBA level - while he possesses good build and athleticism to play power forward, his post game is unrefined … As a small forward, his inability to shoot consistently from the perimeter and below average passing leave little to be desired … Below average free throw shooter … Will be a high risk, high reward player - any team drafting him should expect a project …
Matthew Maurer - 2/14/08
| Statistics |
|
SEASONS
|
GP
|
FG%
|
3PT%
|
FT%
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
RPG
|
APG
|
PPG
|
|
2007-08 CB L'Hospitalet
|
28
|
52.8
|
25.0
|
64.0
|
0.6
|
3.1
|
8.3
|
0.3
|
11.8
|
|
Totals
|
28
|
52.8
|
25.0
|
64.0
|
0.6
|
3.1
|
8.3
|
0.3
|
11.8
|
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