Hibbert developing triple-double skills
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He might've started thinking about the triple-double early in the fourth quarter, when he picked up his seventh assist on a feed to Mike Dunleavy for a jumper that put the Pacers up 84-73 with 9:56 left against Philadelphia Tuesday night.
Shortly thereafter, however, those thoughts were erased. Roy Hibbert went to the bench with 8:57 left and did not return as the Pacers rolled to a 107-96 victory.
"I thought (about it) when the coaches told me to get back in there and tell your guys to cut but it wasn't really on my mind too much," he said. "I had a little trouble guarding the pick-and-roll towards the end and I knew I wasn't going back in.
"There's always the next game."
The triple-double is the crown jewel of game statistics because of its rarity. It's almost unheard-of for a center. None have accomplished it in the NBA this season (Dwight Howard had one in 2008-09) and hasn't been done by a Pacers pivot since Steve Stipanovich had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists against Boston on Nov. 16, 1985.
It's not out of the question for Hibbert (who had 12 points and 11 rebounds against Philadelphia) to break through one day, which is a statement about his remarkable growth as a passer.
Last season, he averaged 0.7 assists with a high of three. He has exceeded that seven times this year, twice reaching seven, and his average has more than doubled to 1.8.
"It's a hard position to learn," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "I remember watching San Antonio on television and one of the announcers said, '(Tim) Duncan has seen everything.' Well, Roy hasn't seen everything yet so every game is a new chance for him to learn.
"Guys know that he's a very good passer and if they hard-cut they'll get the basketball. He needs to find the balance. If he's in the low post against somebody he can dominate, I'd rather him dominate than be a passer. We want him to be a scorer first, a passer second. But he's certainly learning to be a terrific low-post presence."
Hibbert's improvement in this area is critical to O'Brien's system because the coach likes to be able to run the offense through the big men. It's also important to Hibbert because it will give him another way to exploit opponents that double-team him on the blok.
"Just being patient is the most important thing when you're in the post and try to find open cutters," he said. "Lately my post game hasn't been able to drop but I'm trying to see the open man."
