Former Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Charlotte Hornets have recently reached a one-year, $5 million agreement with Roy Hibbert after the NBA All-Star center was not given an offer by his team last season, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 29-year-old big man was traded by the Indiana Pacers, where he played his first seven professional seasons, to the Lakers last summer in exchange for a future second-round pick. He played and started 81 games for then head coach Byron Scott and averaged a career-low 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks in only 23.2 minutes of playing time per night.
LA did not approach him after he finished the four-year, $58 million deal he had with the Pacers in 2012 as he eventually became an unrestricted free agent this month.
ESPN noted that the former Georgetown standout had been a "force in the paint during the Pacers' playoff battles against LeBron James and the Miami Heat" and was a "key reason James had second thoughts about driving the lane", but his once dominant reputation disappeared after Indiana dumped him to a lackluster season with the Lakers.
Hibbert allegedly spent much of his time practicing his outside shooting last season as he tries to adjust to the new style of play in the NBA, but the 7-foot-2 center was still not able to "make much of an impact on offense and represents an old guard of back-to-the-basket centers".
With the Hornets this coming season, he will have a chance of reviving his deteriorating career as he is expected to replace Al Jefferson, who recently joined his former club Pacers to a three-year, $30 million deal, in head coach Steve Clifford's starting lineup.
CBS Sports indicated that Hibbert is slower and "not as offensively talented as Jefferson", but his defensive skills is a definite upgrade from the latter.
Even as he is expected to be Coach Clifford's starter, analysts believe that he will only play more or less 20 minutes a night. However, with NBA legend and Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing motivating him from the sidelines, he still has a chance to bounce back to his All-Star form.
The report also noted that the decision to sign Hibbert to a one-year deal is a "low risk move" by Charlotte as the team can appropriately gauge whether they would want to keep him in 2017-2018 or not after assessing his performance this coming season.
