By John Denton
For an Orlando Magic fan base undoubtedly curious as to the difference-making impact that power forward Serge Ibaka can have on next season all they have to do is think back to a memory they have likely tried to forget for months.
It was February 3 and the Magic were poised to capture one of their biggest wins of the season in Oklahoma City. With the game tied at 114, Victor Oladipo saw an opening, drove down the heart of the lane and seemed poised to convert the go-ahead layup with 10 seconds to play.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Ibaka swooped across the lane and swatted the layup before it got to the glass. Kevin Durant hauled in the loose ball, dribbled up court and drilled a 27-foot game-winning 3-point shot for the Thunder – none of which would have been possible without Ibaka’s sixth blocked shot of the night.
“I love defense,” Ibaka said on Thursday when he was introduced at his first news conference in Orlando. “My focus is to start my game with my defense every night.”
It’s just coincidence that Ibaka and Oladipo were dealt for one another last week, but it certainly is no coincidence that the Magic pursued and jumped at the chance to add a shot-swatting power forward who could help them shore up their interior defense. For the past four seasons, the Magic have missed having an intimidating presence inside who could protect the rim and cover for others on blow-bys. So they didn’t hesitate in trading for the power forward/center in exchange for Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and rookie Domantas Sabonis last week on the night of the NBA Draft.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan, new head coach Frank Vogel, Ibaka and agent Andy Miller talked lots about defense on Wednesday night when the group dined in Orlando. Ibaka was in Paris last week when the Magic/Thunder trade went down and he didn’t learn about it until the next morning when he saw dozens of text messages from friends and family members.
Vogel, whose teams have always been centered around strong defense, is confident that the acquisition of Ibaka will make Orlando a tougher, more feared defensive team next season.
“Really, there are two parts to this with adding a guy like Serge to the team,” Vogel surmised. “First, there’s the ability to cover up mistakes with his ability to block shots. Then, to be able to play what we call our `drop coverage’ where we keep our bigs in the lane and make them a deterrent in there, that’s huge.
“But with the way the game has changed so dramatically in the last three or four years, having a big in there who can switch onto any perimeter player and guard them at the level Serge can, that’s maybe the most valuable skill set in the game today for a big guy – maybe even more than blocking shots,” Vogel added.
Orlando is hopeful that by giving Ibaka, 26, a larger role and a change of scenery that he will get back to being the intimidating defensive figure that it has lacked for seasons. Ibaka, who has grabbed 7.4 rebounds and blocked 2.5 shots a game over his seven-year NBA career, wants to be in a more traditional power forward role in Orlando where he is asked to score inside, rebound on both ends of the floor and be a daring shot-blocker at the rim.
Ibaka, who will wear No. 7 in Orlando as a tribute to his late mother who was a basketball player in his native Congo, was often pushed further and further from the basket in Oklahoma City because of the emergences of centers Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Ibaka is hopeful that his time in Orlando will feature him patrolling the paint more.
“Defense, in the game, is something that I just really enjoy,” said Ibaka, who is just one of two players in NBA history to lead the league in blocked shots four years in a row. “Some people enjoy assisting the ball. Some people like to score, score, score, but to me the first thing that comes up is defense. I can play both ends of the floor. I’ve had the opportunity to be in league now for seven years because I started on defense and I love defense.”
Added Vogel: “And (Ibaka loves defense) because he’s really good at it.”
Ibaka averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 79 games this past season. In the playoffs this spring as OKC beat Dallas and San Antonio and lost to Golden State in seven games, Ibaka averaged 12 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.33 blocks in 18 postseason games.
In 524 NBA games over the last seven seasons, Ibaka has averaged 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He is a career 35.5 percent shooter from 3-point range and he’s made 137 of those threes over the past two seasons while working to expand his range.
Ibaka’s numbers have steadily dipped the past three seasons, going from 15.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a game in the 2013-14 season to 14.3 ppg., 7.8 rpg. and 2.4 bpg in 2014-15 and 12.6 ppg., 6.8 rpg. and 1.9 bpg. this past season.
The Magic feel that the drop off in production was due to his decreased role and his forced move to the perimeter offensively. In Orlando, the belief is that Ibaka will once again be a dominant defensive player and a versatile piece offensively. And Ibaka offered up a defense of, well, his defense in recent years.
“I know a lot of people are telling me that my blocks (went) down last year. But only people like Coach (Vogel) can understand because (NBA coaches) really know the game,” Ibaka said. “I’ve been doing more (defensively) than just blocking shots. I can switch (point guards-to-centers) and play multiple positions. Defense is why I’m here today.”
Magic guard Evan Fournier, who is set to become a restricted free agent at midnight, says the addition of Ibaka gives the Magic the defensive stopper that the team has desperately needed. He thinks that Orlando is infinitely closer to being a playoff team next year.
“He’s a great addition, especially defensively,” said Fournier, who expects to be retained by a Magic squad that can match any contractual offer sheet that he signs. “(Nikola Vucevic) is such a gifted player offensively, but it can be hard for him defensively against (power forwards) and he’s not a shot-blocker. Having Serge as a shot-blocker in the paint is huge for us and Vooch won’t have as much pressure on him. We’re headed in a good direction.”
Hennigan, who has known Ibaka since 2008, is confident that Ibaka will mesh with the Magic because of his versatility on both ends of the floor and his team-first mentality. He’ll be able to play power forward alongside Vucevic at center and he can shift to the middle when Aaron Gordon is at power forward. And because Ibaka has the abilities to both shoot the 3-pointer offensively and block shots on defense, he truly is a rarity even at basketball’s highest level.
Hennigan said the dazzling blocked shot that Ibaka recorded last February against the Magic will be commonplace next season and it will be nice having that type of difference-making player in Orlando pinstripes.
“I remember that play,” recalled Henningan, someone who was referred to as “family” by Ibaka because of their long history together. “(That block) was indicative of Serge’s ability to impact the game on the defensive end of the floor in all capacities. … He gives us something that we’ve lacked on our roster. We like that we’re adding something that hasn’t been there for us.”
