Serge Ibaka Showing Why He Should Have a Larger Role for Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder need to find a way to get power forward Serge Ibaka more involved, especially when it comes to the fourth quarter.

Ibaka is one of the league's best two-way talents, and giving him a larger role will take a lot of pressure off superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

With Durant and Westbrook sidelined for the first few weeks of the season, Ibaka was thrust into being the team's primary option. It became clear those shoes weren't a good fit for the 25-year-old. He's better served being the team's third wheel, a role he's capably grown into.

The problem is that role (for now) seems to have gone to sixth man Reggie Jackson. Jackson is third on the team in scoring (15.3 points) and field-goal attempts per game (13.9). 

Meanwhile, all Ibaka has done this season is shoot a career-high 40 percent from three while registering fourth in the NBA with 2.2 blocked shots per game.

"My first job always is defense here on this team,” Ibaka said, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. “Some games I’m going to shoot 15 (shots). I don’t really worry about the shots. All I can do is keep working when the opportunity comes."

That opportunity needs to come sooner rather than later. 

Offensive Improvement

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The biggest difference in Ibaka's game this year is his improvement from the three-point line. In just 35 games, the Congo native has already made more treys (50) than in his previous five seasons combined (45). 

In fact, Ibaka has emerged as one of the best outside-shooting big men in the league. The list of players 6'10" or taller shooting better than Ibaka's 40 percent from downtown: Channing Frye of the Orlando Magic (41.5 percent). 

That's it. That's the list. Not Chris Bosh (39.6 percent). Not Ryan Anderson (34.7 percent). Not Dirk Nowitzki (34.7 percent). 

Furthermore, other than Frye, the Toronto Raptors' Patrick Patterson (46 percent) and Phoenix Suns' Marcus Morris (41.2 percent) are the only NBA power forwards doing a better job of converting from downtown than Ibaka. 

Despite his newfound love for the deep ball (career-high 3.6 trey attempts per game), Ibaka is still capable of getting the job done inside. Per Basketball-Reference, he's knocking down 69 percent of his attempts at the rim. 

However, for all of the hard work Ibaka has put in to become a more versatile scorer, there is still a disappointing trend going on with the Thunder since the team returned to full strength. When the fourth quarter starts, they don't find ways to get their best big man the ball. 

This is how Ibaka's fourth-quarter numbers compare to his teammates' (Note: These numbers are at least partially influenced by the team's myriad of injuries):

Name	Games Played	Field Goals Made	Field Goals Attempted	Field Goal Percentage
Serge Ibaka	35	37	71	52.1
Kevin Durant	12	24	45	53.3
Russell Westbrook	21	33	85	38.8
Reggie Jackson	32	54	124	43.5
Anthony Morrow	28	40	90	44.4

Now, it's understandable for Ibaka to take a back seat to Durant and Westbrook in the game's final frame. Those are two of the best players in basketball. But getting outshot by Jackson and Morrow? Unacceptable.

Ibaka has been every bit as good from three as Morrow (40.8 percent) has been this season, and he has been more accurate in the fourth than Jackson. He deserves a bigger piece of the pie down the stretch. 

Still, being the consummate team player, the big man hasn't let the lack of late-game touches bother him, per Mayberry.

"

'That’s basketball, man. I’m not really worried about that,' Ibaka said. 'We’ve got great players on the team. We were playing against a good team, too. We’ve got players like Reggie (Jackson) and Russ that can make plays and (Anthony) Morrow can shoot the ball. I was not the only one player on the court that can shoot the ball. That happens sometimes. But it’s not something I’m worried about.'

"

Center Kendrick Perkins would like to see the team let the big guy eat more.

"I think we got to do a better job of running sets to get Serge a couple more touches," he said, per Mayberry. "Find the hot guy. Probably involve him more in the pick and roll and pick and pop."

To Perk's point, getting Ibaka more involved in both pick plays is the right idea. Ibaka has the athleticism to finish at the rim as the roll man, but he can also drain jumpers when he catches and shoots. Per NBA.com, Ibaka has an effective field-goal percentage of 52.5 percent in catch-and-shoot situations, which he utilizes 56 percent of the time. 

Head coach Scott Brooks is aware that Ibaka is at his best in open space, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman: "Serge is at his best when he doesn't have clutter. When he doesn't have clutter, he makes shots and he makes good decisions." 

With his ability to score in the post and on the outside, Ibaka deserves to be featured more, especially over guys like Jackson and Morrow. 

Defensive Dominance

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What separates Ibaka from other sweet-shooting big men is his excellent defense.

Ibaka led the league in total blocks for four straight years coming into this season. This year, only Anthony Davis (94) and DeAndre Jordan (82) have more than The Serge Protector's 78 rejections. 

Ibaka is also fifth in the NBA in block percentage (rate of shots blocked by a player when he's on the floor) at 5.6 percent. Additionally, he has a defensive rating of 103, which is on par with notable rim protectors like the Philadelphia 76ers' Nerlens Noel and Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert. 

He's also doing a fine job of disrupting opponents' shots, both in the paint and on the outside. Here's a look at how well players shoot with Ibaka guarding them as opposed to how they perform normally. 

Location	Defended Field Goal Percentage	Normal Field Goal Percentage (Difference)
Overall	42.1	46.6 (-4.5)
3-Pointers	26.9	35.5 (-8.6)
Less Than 6 ft.	50.5	59.4 (-8.9)
Less Than 10 ft.	49.2	54.7 (-5.5)
Greater Than 15 Ft.	34.7	37.7 (-3.0)

Ibaka's defensive chops are a big reason why Oklahoma City is second in the league in field-goal percentage allowed (43 percent). The Thunder are also seventh in points allowed (97.9) and tied for eighth with the Chicago Bulls in defensive efficiency.  

The only thing missing from Ibaka's game is better work on the glass. His 7.2 boards per game is his lowest output since his rookie season, and it is good for 33rd-best in the NBA. Denying second-chance opportunities plays a role in being a good defender as well, and improved work in that area could put Ibaka in the conversation for the best all-around power forward in the league. 

He's already a better outside shooter than The 'Brow. He's a better defender than guys like Kevin Love and Zach Randolph. Most importantly, he's only 25 and seems to get better in some form every year. The Thunder should take advantage of that kind of talent they have here.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

In 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder opted for Serge Ibaka to be the team's third wheel over James Harden. Ibaka signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension, and Harden was eventually shipped off to the Houston Rockets. 

A little over two years later, Harden is a superstar and Ibaka is still waiting for the team to treat him like the third man he was being paid to be.

For Ibaka's part, he's done nearly everything you'd ask in his role while simultaneously expanding it. He blocks shots, spaces the floor and has emerged as the team's best interior scorer.

Still, the Thunder seem content with being a two-man show.

No team can become a champion without utilizing its role players. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook may be generational talents, but Oklahoma City will never live up to its lofty expectations, nor its potential, by relying solely on those two to carry the load. 

Ibaka has shown that he's a star in the making. It's time for him to join the rest of the universe. 

Note: All stats current as of Jan. 5 and are courtesy of NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.