DC Pro Sports Report NBA Draft Profile: Roy Hibbert

If you like your centers big and hulking, Roy Hibbert is what you want. At 7’2″ and tipping the scales at over 270 pounds, Roy Hibbert is big, a throwback to the days of yore when NBA centers planted their ample backsides in the paint and left them there. Hibbert could have come out and been a likely lottery pick in 2007, but he decided to return to Georgetown for his senior season. The decision did not result in an NCAA championship and it likely damaged his draft position.
Hibbert is immensely strong, as you might imagine from someone his size. His frame is large and he could even put on some additional weight if an NBA club asked him to do so. He’s got nice, soft hands so he won’t drop many entry passes [Kwame Brown!] and he passes well out of the paint and the double team. He’s got a good motor and won’t quit on a game, that Georgetown work ethic. He’s also a smart player who pays attention to his coaches and doesn’t make an ass of himself on or off the court. He’s got a decent midrange jumper, though he’s more comfortable on the low blocks where his soft touch with the ball is a good bet. Hibbert has played, and often excelled, against the best competition in college basketball and, rare these days, owns 4 years of college experience. In other words, NBA scouts and GMs should know what they are getting if they draft Roy Hibbert.
On the other hand, Hibbert is not a great athlete. He’s slow and takes a while to get up and down the court. He doesn’t get back in transition easily and the point guard won’t often find him filling a lane for a breakaway dunk. His lateral quickness and clunky feet are obvious and defenses will have time to react to him when he gets the ball down low. He’s also very foul-prone and it isn’t known if his gigantic body can withstand the rigors of an 82-game season. Finally, he didn’t really improve much, if at all, from his junior to senior year in college.
Hibbert’s go-to move is the hook shot down low. He’s good with his left hand, great with his right hand. His size makes him something of a shot-blocker, though his lack of speed or leaping ability means he doesn’t block as many shots as you might like. He certainly does occupy space in the lane, though, and there is something to be said for that. He’s not a good free throw shooter, though [about 65% this past season], which is a problem for any center that wants the ball in the paint. It’s particularly important for Hibbert, though, who isn’t often explosive enough to finish plays after being fouled.
Hibbert is a good rebounder, but not a great one. His 6.8 rebounds per game doesn’t seem too good, but we must recall that Georgetown played a slow game and Hibbert generally didn’t play more than 25 or 27 minutes per game due to conditioning and foul trouble. Someone Hibbert’s size probably ought to be a better rebounder, but he’s good enough and certainly won’t hurt you on the glass.
I like Hibbert’s defense. He’s big and can’t be overpowered by…anyone. His size also makes it difficult for other big men to go around or over him. Quicker centers might be able to take advantage of him, but even that might be difficult in the paint. Take Hibbert outside, though, and he struggles mightily. On the perimeter, Hibbert goes from being a very good defender to a bad one. He has little lateral quickness to follow on the perimeter and prefers to stay in the paint, even if his opponent can shoot from outside. Obviously, that leads to uncontested jump shots.
Summary: Hibbert is a big man’s big man, with strength, size and power. He’s got soft hands and nice moves so he can score in the paint, though he’s slow and lumbering while doing so. He’s a very good defender against other big men, but if he’s facing a more “European-style” pivot man, Hibbert struggles. I think Hibbert should be a very good backup center in the NBA and, in time, could develop into a serviceable starter. He’ll need a couple of years as an apprentice to a more NBA-ready center, however.
Hibbert would make sense for a team like the Washington Bullets because they have an NBA-ready center [Brendan Haywood] and Hibbert’s ability to cut and move on offense, and set picks on the perimeter, would make him a natural for the Princeton offense Coach Eddie Jordan runs.
Now, enjoy some video highlights of Roy Hibbert…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXqVThYIbDU&hl=en]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVUJ4-uy1dk&hl=en]