Five free agent replacements for Willie Reed
By Simon Smith
2. Roy Hibbert
Hibbert’s career has fallen away dramatically since his last All-Star appearance in 2014. Since being traded away from the Indiana Pacers in 2015, Hibbert has made stops with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Charlotte Hornets and the Denver Nuggets. So naturally, question marks are going to arise in regards to his value moving forward.
But still just 30, Hibbert’s career may not be totally unresolvable. In 42 games for the Hornets this season, Hibbert averaged 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game. Most notably, Hibbert averaged 1.0 blocks per game despite his limited playing time. The numbers are extremely comparable with Reed’s season number’s, except Reed’s athleticism is simply on another level to that of Hibbert.
During his short stay with the Hornets, Hibbert managed to produce two or more blocks on 13 occasions. His best performance came in the first game of the season, where he produced 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in 32 minutes of play.
The highlights of this game can be seen here:
On this performance alone, Hibbert could prove to be a terrific pickup in a backup role. His instincts in blocking shots is still intact. Furthermore he demonstrated an ability to pass the ball, picking up three assists on the night.
This season saw head coach Erik Spoelstra look to primarily play a group consisting of one big in the middle, surrounded by shooters in the other four spots. Therefore, a playoff veteran such as Hibbert could be ideal in playing 14-16 minutes in a backup role.
And most importantly, having come off a very sub par season, Hibbert is unlikely to command, or demand, a significant salary. (He signed with the Hornets last summer on a one-year, $5 million deal).