With the 2020 NBA draft approaching quickly, the Golden State Warriors have plenty of options of what to do with their top pick.
Golden State Warriors legend Rick Barry had some ideas himself of what he would like to see this team add to the roster.
One of the players he mentioned was Serge Ibaka. The 11-year veteran won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and was a big contributor to their success. Early on in Ibaka’s career, he was a shot-blocking machine.
He averaged nearly four blocks a game in his third season in the league and three blocks in his fourth year. Serge Ibaka may not be the three-time All-Defensive player that he once was, but he can still contribute in a couple of different ways.
Last season, Serge Ibaka played 55 games for the Toronto Raptors and helped them make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Serge averaged a career-high in points last season at 15 a game. However, he averaged a career-low in blocks per game. Ibaka also pulled down eight rebounds a game last season.
We have seen Serge Ibaka become an elite bench player for the Raptors the past few seasons, and that would most likely be his role with the Warriors. Ibaka started 27 games for the Raptors and came off of the bench in 28 games.
His versatility allowed him to play in a couple of different lineups.
With this Warriors team, Ibaka would fit right in with the second unit, potentially even taking over as the team’s starting center. That would help the Warriors bench scoring and defense, two things they struggled with last season.
The Warriors finished 2020 with the 24th best bench scoring. If they want to get back to the Finals, they will need to replicate the teams they had in the past with great bench play. It starts with Ibaka.
"“The guy that I’d like to see them get — it would be unbelievable — I love Serge Ibaka,” Barry said Thursday morning on KNBR’s “Murph & Mac” show. “He can shoot the 3, he can rebound, block shots. That would be a heckuva addition to this team,” NBC Sports Drew Shiller wrote."
Barry is absolutely right, and Ibaka is hopefully a player the Warriors target with their mid-level exception. It’d be a match made in heaven for both sides.