Name: Roy Hibbert Position: Center Height: 7-2 (2.18m) Weight: 278 (126kg) College Team: Georgetown Hoyas Nationality: American Birthplace: Queens, New York Birthdate: 12/11/1986 Drafted: Declared for the 2007 NBA Draft but withdrew... Selected by the Toronto Raptors in the first round (17th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Strengths: Fits and even exceeds the physical standards of most centers in the NBA with his size … Despite his below average coordination, Hibbert runs the court fairly well for a player his size once his feet get moving … Back to the basket skills are polished with a nice up and under move, and hard to block sweeping hook shot to name a few … Does a good job using his wingspan and timing to disrupt shots when blocking opposing players’ shot attempts at the basket … Fundamentally sound on the low block where he is excellent at getting his body wide to give guards a nice sized target … Without the ball in his hands, Hibbert works non-stop around the low post attempting to establish position on his defender … Even more important, Hibbert understands the value of keeping the ball high … Possesses good relation to the basket skills in that he doesn’t go too far under the basket, nor away after completing a post move … Hard center to double team with his solid court vision that allows him to recognize and react with quality post passing … Improved his post footwork greatly from last season, making his post skills quicker in their execution while maintaining balance … Coachable player with a great basketball IQ and a solid work ethic to match… When being played physical, Hibbert doesn’t back down but often responds with a mean streak to match the intensity level of his opponent … Owns a decent perimeter shot when facing the basket from 16 feet … Defensively, he does a great job denying position in the post … Humble, quality person off the court who doesn’t create distractions for his team to deal with …

Weaknesses: Lacks soft hands that most elite centers in the NBA possess to catch balls without fumbling … Rebounding remains an overrated part of his game as he lacks the instinct and mobility to rebound out of position while getting boxed out in his area … Many have suggested that Hibbert may have peaked, as his game hasn’t shown strides of improvement that some hoped for … Needs to become more aware of where his defender is when positing up, as most opposing players are able to reach under him and poke the ball … Although Hibbert’s conditioning has improved he still lacks stamina, and it must be that this limitation could affect his ability to consistently play in an open court offense … Lacks explosiveness for his size, which could prevent him from providing shot blocking on the NBA level … When defended by explosive, athletic players, Hibbert isn’t as dominant or confident … His pigeon-toed movements make his body fairly mechanical without much fluidness … Can let his emotions get the best of him, leading to moments of over aggressive play … Doesn’t typically create the kind of contact that one would expect in a seven footer … While there are times when he establishes his physical height advantage, too often he will finesse his way around the basket instead of powering the ball to the basket …

Matthew Maurer – 3/24/08