Roy Hibbert Must Silence Critics for Indiana Pacers to Survive Paul George Loss

The Indiana Pacers and their fans had a nightmare offseason.

They saw young burgeoning star, Lance Stephenson, leave for the Charlotte Hornets, bona fide star Paul George horrifically break his leg during the FIBA World Championships and watched as division rivals Cleveland added the planet's best all-around player in LeBron James. And all of that was after watching a historically bad collapse by their team following the All-Star break. This collapse corresponded with the surprisingly bad play of All-Star center Roy Hibbert, who will be called upon to return to form if the Pacers want a return trip to the postseason.

Roy Hibbert's struggles following the All-Star break were well-chronicled, with some even calling for his benching. Hibbert, who averaged three points less, three rebounds less and .75 blocks less following the break, was lost on offense and abused on defense. This obviously corresponded with the success of his team as his pre-All-Star-break +/- was +12.7 whereas his post-break +/- was -3.1.

Hibbert was bad, we get it, but what does that mean for the future?

The Pacers lost 36 percent of their scoring from last season (George and Stephenson), as well as 49 percent of their three-pointers. This is a devastating amount of offensive production to lose, but the real loss may be on the defensive end.

In George, Stephenson, forward David West and Hibbert, the Pacers sported four players in the top six as far as defensive win shares contributed are concerned. Not to say that Hibbert is offensively incompetent, but this is the area he can most help the Pacers succeed. They are a team that prides itself on defense. This is a team that won 56 games last season despite being the sixth-lowest scoring team in the league.

The Pacers know how to win without offense, so it will fall upon Hibbert to help them succeed through their defense. He will make players like West and Luis Scola better on the defensive and offensive ends if he can return to his All-Star form. A return would require him to hide defensive incompetency and draw the occasional double-team on offense.

The Pacers will have less talent than last season and, as a result, will need to be a better TEAM. This begins with good defense, but will also require smart offensive play.  According to Candice Buckner of the Indianapolis Star, Hibbert texted his long-time friend Tim Duncan for advice on ball movement:

This is the exact type of play that will make the Pacers a better team despite their obvious losses.

The Pacers will likely live and die by the play of their frontcourt, but specifically Roy Hibbert, who will have to lead them defensively in order to make the playoffs. Hibbert may have regressed some last season, but can prove his skeptics wrong with strong leadership and a higher level of play. Pacers' fans certainly hope this is the case, as it is likely the only way they can return to the postseason.

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