Serge “Ibaka Gaijin” Ibaka is currently having his second-most efficient scoring season ever, behind 2012-13 season with the Thunder where they got swept in the second round by the Grizzlies. When you think about it that way, it’s totally fine for him to not be the same stud defender in years past: why would he want to play defense when he could play offense instead and be justified in doing it? As long as his defense remains above average and he maintains his all-around scoring game, he’ll continue to be one of the better power forwards in the league.
I’ve wondered in the past whether his presence on the Raptors means that the Dinosaur Team has actually completed the “Big Three” that has been a “Big Two plus role players” for as long as Lowry and DeRozan have shared the court. The Ibaka Gaijin only averages fourteen points per game, which is good but not traditionally “big” enough to make him part of a “big three”. But his overall contributions to winning basketball and his elite role-playerness make a compelling argument for his inclusion. Then again, usually the PF/C in a “big three” is the kind of guy who can go out and get 20/10 without any trouble. Ibaka can get those kind of stats, but not with the kind of regularity you would want.
Maybe Bruno Caboclo can be the third player in the Raptors’ big three. Get it? I’m making a joke about how much he sucks! Ha! Ha! Haha!