Serge Ibaka explains how small-ball is making NBA big men an afterthought
Are you increasingly frustrated that your favorite NBA team is trotting out an archiac offense?
Maybe you're a New York Knicks fan who's sick of watching the triangle offense while teams like the Golden State Warriors change the game forever. You might wonder, "Hey, why can't our big men stretch out to the 3-point line?"
The league is all about small-ball these days, right? So why not Zoidberg?
To hear Oklahoma City Thunder big man Serge Ibaka tell it, there might be a pretty good reason. See, small-ball is great for teams that have good coaching and the personnel to do it. But if you ask a traditional big man to change his role and his approach to the game, there can be some pretty massive growing pains.
“I’m gonna tell you the truth, it’s hard sometimes when you play hard, you play you’re (butt off),” Ibaka swore, before apologizing and rephrasing. “You play so hard on defense, then you come to offense and you’re going to be out there in the corner for 4, 5, 6, sometimes 8 minutes and you don’t touch the ball. We human, man. It’s hard.”
Remember, friends: Feelings are not numbers. Ibaka is a solid 3-point shooter, especially from the corners, and he's an effective jump shooter in the midrange. By all counts, he should be perfectly comfortable adapting to small-ball and helping the Thunder be even better.
The highlight everybody's talking about. Serge Ibaka from 3 to tie the game at 94. #NBAVote pic.twitter.com/9S6VSkbSNn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 14, 2015
But Ibaka, like many bigs, is used to touching the ball frequently -- and in the paint. From there, a center or forward can feel in control. It's up to him whether he wants to punish his defender with a move to the rim or find an open teammate or try to draw a foul. Down low, the big man is in control. And that kind of power is addicting.
On the perimeter, a player is more vulnerable to his opponent's scheme. If a defense shades attention your way or denies you a pass in the corner, what can you do? A big man who's not asked to play pick-and-roll offense can't just break away from the game plan and go set picks for the ball-handler in order to try to get involved in the offense. Instead, he sits there, waiting for an opportunity.
Wasting away in the corner.
Contemplating existence and why we're all even here.
A skilled team can circumvent that problem, naturally. Good coaches make sure a big man gets his touches, even if it's outside of the paint. More importantly, great coaches design offenses that move the ball over and over again, getting everyone involved and letting no player remain stagnant for too long. Just look at the San Antonio Spurs, who have created a hybrid offense predicated on both post play and free-flowing offense. A player like Ibaka would thrive in such a system; without such attention to detail, however, he's at the mercy of what Billy Donovan draws up.
Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of great coaches in the NBA who can make the most of someone such as Ibaka. And until there are, the small-ball revolution will be a burden on the big man.
.@sergeibaka9 shows why he is one of the best defensive players in the league with this splendid block #LoveNBAhttps://t.co/47FnmvdrtR
— NBAIndia (@NBAIndia) March 27, 2016
