FC Bayern Basketball has signed Serge Ibaka, the biggest name the BBL has ever seen in its history. The exciting question, however, is which version of the big man FCB will get. There have been a few things to see over the course of his career…
by Ole Frerks
When Serge Ibaka celebrates his Bundesliga debut against Central German BC on Friday (from 8 p.m. in the ran live ticker), three FCBB players have something that the new star lacks. Even the three German world champions would certainly not deny that the 34-year-old, who has been 34 for a few days, has the most lavish letterhead in the squad: European Championship gold, Olympic silver and the NBA title are just the greatest successes of his illustrious career.
He has 919 regular-season games in the NBA under his belt, plus 152 playoff games. It’s a whole lot of high-level basketball, a whole lot of experience that Ibaka brings to the table. It’s no wonder that Bayern are proud of this “prestigious transfer”, as sporting director Daniele Baiesi put it on the team website. In terms of name, there probably hasn’t been a bigger coup in BBL history, even if Bayreuth once tried it with Kevin Durant.
Ibaka actually played briefly in Europe during the 2011 lockout when nothing worked out in the NBA – albeit at Real Madrid, for Pablo Laso. “It is a privilege for me to join this historic club,” said Ibaba at his official introduction to FC Bayern.
He has already settled in a bit by attending the Oktoberfest. “It was very interesting for me and super cool,” said Ibaka about his trip to the Oktoberfest. “I’ve never been to a festival like this. I’d never heard of it.” So it wasn’t the folk festival that attracted him to Munich. “The fact that Pablo Laso is the coach here was a deciding factor for me,” he said.
Laso was, unsurprisingly, the one who initiated the sensational transfer. Bayern managing director Marko Pesic initially thought the whole thing was a joke, as he told us in an interview ran revealed: “When Pablo said to me: ‘Look out, we may have a chance of signing Ibaka’, I said: ‘Look out, if you want to talk to me normally and seriously, I’ll go Get out for a moment and come back in.'”
The connection with head coach Pablo is just one of the reasons why Ibaka could also be an absolute asset to the FCBB in terms of sport… his development is one of the others.
Serge Ibaka: King of the Blocks
It has now been 15 years since Ibaka was drafted, almost 14 since his NBA debut. He entered the league as one of its best athletes, which was particularly evident defensively. Even as a rookie, Ibaka blocked 3.9 percent of the opponent’s throws when he was on the court, making him a loud performer Cleaning the Glass in the 94th percentile.
the essentials in brief
Over the next four years it would always be at least in the 98th percentile, Ibaka replaced Dwight Howard as the NBA’s most feared shot blocker and led them twice in total blocks (3.7 per game in 11/12). The young “Iblocka” was a real phenomenon, quick to get back in the air for a second jump and disciplined, receiving relatively few fouls for a ring protector who was so often tested.
As a one-on-one defender in the post, he had his problems from time to time – not least exposed by Dirk Nowitzki in the 2011 Conference Finals, when expert Jeff Van Gundy suggested to Ibaka, who was only 21 years old, to call his first son “Dirk ” to call. For this reason, he was one of the best help defenders in the league for years and was elected to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team three times.
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When Ibaka got the nod over an MVP
Ibaka was considered the centerpiece of what was for some time the league’s most exciting young team in OKC. From today’s perspective it seems strange, but in 2012 he actually had priority over James Harden – after the Thunder’s first (and only) finals appearance, a new contract was only agreed with Ibaka, after which there was no longer the maximum amount left for Harden .
A former NBA star for Munich: Serge Ibaka© AFP/SID/DAVID BERDING
Even then, there were critics of this prioritization (OKC also wanted to keep Harden, but not at any price), which prevented three future MVPs in Durant, Harden and Russell Westbrook from being able to play together for at least a little longer. But there were also people who defended OKC – precisely because of the defense.
A ring protector like Ibaka seemed indispensable, especially in the NBA at the time, when the basketball was thrown even more close to the basket. Just to make this clear: Conventional NBA teams took around 18 three-pointers per game in 2012 – just seven years later it was already 32, which means that the role and value of bigs has changed accordingly. However, Ibaka reinvented himself to a certain extent during this time and managed to remain relevant in a “different” league.
Ibaka’s development into a floor spacer
Offensively, the Congolese native underwent a real evolution. He started primarily as a dunker and lob finisher, but soon expanded his range and, thanks to a strong touch, quickly became an elite mid-range shooter, hitting an impressive 52 percent of his long twos in his individual best season 12/13, better even than Durant (the of course took more attempts against a completely different defense).
The three-pointer didn’t take long to arrive; after a few years, over 30 percent of his throws were triples, which he hadn’t even taken in his first few seasons. He also shot well from this distance at times (over 37 percent for five years) and became a better offensive player over the course of his career, although he needed time to get used to a different role.
After leaving Oklahoma City, where his time ended in Game 7 of the Conference Finals in 2016, Ibaka found another perfect situation: with the Raptors, especially in 2019, although he went from starter to bench player there during the season, when Toronto briefly made a trade for Marc Gasol before the deadline.
Ibaka: Difference-Maker in den Finals
Ibaka adapted and made a fundamental contribution to the only title in franchise history. With his energy, his blocks and his scoring from the bench, he was a decisive difference maker in the finals, not least because he was a little more in this role and could be involved in the offense in various ways and not parked in the corner.
That’s probably one of the reasons why Ibaka’s career has stalled in the years since, anyway: He’s not a stationary shooter, nor is he really someone who can be plugged and played into a ready-made role. However, many NBA teams prefer this for their role players, especially at the big positions.
Ibaka, however, is a player for whom the energy multiplies, so to speak: a block releases power that leads to an offensive rebound elsewhere. A deemed offensive foul results in a cut for a dunk, and so on. He needs a certain flow, which he doesn’t get if his role is reduced too much.
Anger about last stop, Milwaukee
This flow has no longer existed over the past few years, and the Milwaukee “adventure” in particular ended unhappily, especially since Ibaka subsequently complained (not the only one) about a lack of communication about his role from head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Simply put, Ibaka’s last impressions on the court were not good: 22/23 he was inefficient, had the highest turnover rate of his career, and had the lowest block and defensive rebound rates. But it was only 16 games and there was constant uncertainty as to when the coach needed him and when he didn’t.
He was then traded to Indiana and released there, but since then things have been quiet around him before he signed in Munich last week. The knee and back problems of the last few years may have contributed to this.
Ibaka simply hasn’t played enough recently to be able to judge what the best version of him currently looks like. His injury problems are probably the biggest concern driving Bayern’s coup.
Can the FCBB find the balance?
This gave FC Bayern the chance to get a player who obviously still wants to give something – and who has already reinvented himself several times. Coach Pablo was apparently quickly able to convince his former protégé of the Bayern project. “It was easy because the whole negotiations were totally uncomplicated. He was uncomplicated and showed commitment to wanting to come here and we are really happy to have him here,” said Pesic ran.
Ibaka is someone who has always walked between worlds (not only) in terms of basketball, who has a lot of experience in the NBA, but also in Europe and in FIBA basketball.
Who found his way in different situations, systems and positions and was able to adapt to teams. Who didn’t have to stand out, even if he nominally will now. Who almost certainly doesn’t come to Munich with the aim of taking most of the throws in the team… but who shouldn’t be reduced too much in his area of responsibility either.
It’s more about the level of involvement, the right balance. If Laso finds this and Ibaka is really healthy, then the FCBB has got a player who can contribute a lot of things defensively and offensively that enrich a team. Apart from the big name.
2023-09-28 09:56:00
#long #Iblocka #Munich
