After a trade to the Toronto Raptors, Serge Ibaka is looking dominant once again.
While the Toronto Raptors didn't give up a lot to acquire Serge Ibaka, they have a lot riding on his success with the team. It was clear that the team was lagging behind the competition in the Eastern Conference, with the Raptors dropping to fourth prior to the All-Star break.
While the team hasn't had a healthy lineup since Ibaka's arrival, his impact has helped the team survive the absence of Kyle Lowry to this point.
The Raptors are 5-4 since the acquisition of Ibaka. With Lowry, and Patrick Patterson missing time over that stretch, the fact that the Raptors have managed to stay above water has been quite impressive.
In the past, the absence of either player would almost always result in a loss for Toronto. However the immediate impact of Ibaka has allowed the team to remain competitive.
Over his first nine games with the Raptors, Ibaka is averaging 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He's doing that while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from three.
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The offensive output has been essential for the Raptors, as they've struggled to keep up offensively in Lowry's absence.
But where Ibaka's impact has been felt the most, has been on the defensive side of the floor. Not only does Ibaka give the Raptors much needed shot blocking, but he has allowed them to have defensive versatility with a multitude of looks.
One of the most effective looks with Ibaka has been alongside Patterson. When together, the Raptors have outscored the opposition by 5.9 points per 100 possessions. The pairing gives Toronto versatility on both ends of the floor while keeping size on the court.
They've even had success against smaller lineups by playing Ibaka and P.J. Tucker together at the 5 and 4.
One of the few disappointing aspects of Ibaka's fit with the team so far has been the ineffectiveness of the team alongside Jonas Valanciunas. When they share the floor together, the team has a minus-11.3 net rating.
Yet in Ibaka's minutes without Valanciunas, the team has a plus-14.1 net rating. The Raptors give up 116.7 points per 100 possessions they give up in those minutes, which is dramatically worse than their defensive rating for the season of 105.8
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To the Raptors' credit, they have recognized that the team hasn't been able to defend with those two together. As a result, they've chosen to sit Valancinunas in almost all meaningful fourth quarter minutes.
Once Lowry returns, the Raptors will need to adjust in a hurry. Continuity has been one of the team's biggest strengths in the last few years. However they will need to try re-integrate Lowry, while Ibaka tries to fit in alongside two high-usage guards.
This process can be made a lot easier should the Raptors find a way to keep winning in Lowry's absence. Toronto is three games back of Boston for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Getting to at least the third seed would ensure that the team would face an easier first-round opponent, as well as keep Toronto on the opposite side of the bracket from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Avoiding the Cavs until the conference finals would give Toronto more time to adjust on the fly. In an improved Eastern Conference, advancing is not a guarantee for Toronto. But Ibaka's strong play is keeping hope alive for a possible late-season surge up the standings.
Without him, the Raptors would surely be in a full-on nosedive.
