Hibbert's lack of lateral quickness makes him an awful fit (not just bad, awful fit) for the defensive scheme the Celtics use so I'd pass on him.
This is my biggest problem with him.
I also think he is going to have a lot of trouble on offense as well though. I think he is going to have a lot of trouble scoring in the post in the NBA. He has OK footwork, but not great, and he does not have the quickness to get his shot off in tight defense. Basically, in college, he shot over guys. He won't be able to do that against alot of guys in the NBA. So I think his only real offense will be from 15 foot jumpers...and I don't think that is enough to make up for his lack of defense.
Oh yeah, and he is a terrible rebounder for a guy his size.
Yeah, his lack of lateral quickness is also my biggest problem with Hibbert. I've said in my first post in this thread that I don't like him, but I didn't care to explain why; because I don't think we have a chance of getting him. Nevertheless,the reason is basically that he'd be a terrible fit for our kind of defense - we need bigs mobile enough to show up at the perimeter, defend the P'n'R and quick enough to not be trapped with screen/rolls plays. But I wouldn't say he is a terrible defender per si: in the right system and playing limited minutes along a versatile defensive big man, allowing him to get the better matchups, he can be a passable defender and a good shot-blocker from the weakside.
He's a very good high post player, way better than a lot of current NBA players and even if he lacks explosiveness, he has enough offensive moves in the post. It's hard to say how good he is in that department because of that offense they play in Georgetown (unfortunately for him, it's not a very popular system in the NBA).
Chris, I agree with you that his rebounding should be better. But I believe we should consider that:
- in the offensive side, he plays too far away from the basket (because that's what the system demands - though I'm not saying he'll be good in another one).
- in the defensive side, they prioritize boxing out, something that makes big men look bad in rebounding. From my own experience, it's easier to teach players to pursuit the ball and go for rebounds, if that's what you want them to do, than to be reliable in boxing out. On the other hand, if they don't have the aggressiveness and the "noise" for the ball, there's nothing that can be done, and maybe that's case with Hibbert. Hard to tell.
Having seen lots of games of him in the season before the last, I believe Hibbert is being underrated in this thread and that he is not a complete stiff. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll have a long and solid career as a backup/bellow average starter in the NBA. If not, he'll be a fantastic player in Europe, with zones hiding his lack of lateral quickness. If I was drafting for a European team, he'd probably be my 5th pick, after Beasley, Rose, Love and Pekovic.
I'm much more worried about guys like Koufos (a complete stiff, lacking both athleticism and skills) or Jordan (a fundamental mess, who'll need to have his game rebuilt from the very beginning - something that demands the right environment, lots of heart and hard work from the player and that basic innate feel for the game - three things that only rarely happen simultaneously).