Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel can make all the excuses he wants about Roy Hibbert being worn down, but a 7-foot-2 player should not be averaging 1.5 rebounds per game while averaging almost 26 minutes per game.
That is what Hibbert has been doing in April, according to a tweet from HoopsHabit.com and ESPN's True Hoops writer Shane Young. He posted a graph on Twitter showing Hibbert's month-by-month rebound performance.
Saturday laugh? Take a look at Roy Hibbert's rebounding numbers per game (each month): pic.twitter.com/vaqluF4m5G
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) April 12, 2014
He started off like a starting big man should, averaging 10.0 and 8.7 rebounds in October and November respectively. Then, Hibbert leveled off with an average hovering in or close to 47.0 the next three months.
But in March and April, Hibbert's rebounding numbers have been staggeringly low.
NBA.SI.com reported after the Pacers' 107-88 loss a week ago to the Atlanta Hawks in which Hibbert played just nine minutes that coach Frank Vogel told The Associated Press, "He looks worn down. He's a 7-foot-2 player who has played every game this year, which is very rare. He looks to me to be worn down. He's given good effort but he looks to me to be worn down."
The Pacers have gone 8-13 in their last 21 games and are battling two-time defending NBA champion Miami for home court advantage in the Eastern Conference. Hibbert recently went off on his teammates, according to CBSSPorts.com.
"Some selfish dudes in here," Roy said after getting eight shots in the Pacers' loss to the Wizards at the end of last month. "Some selfish dudes. I'm tired of talking about it. We've been talking about it for a month."
"We play hard, but we've got to move the ball," Hibbert said. "Is it obvious, or what? I don't know whatever our assist ratio, or whatever it is, is in the league, but it probably isn't up there. I'm really trying hard not to spaz out right now, but I don't know. We've been talking about it for a month. I'm not handling the rock. I don't know. I've made suggestions before and we do it for, like, one game, and then we revert back to what we are. I don't know. I'm not the one to answer that question. It directly affects me and the bigs. We're just out there and it makes us look bad."
Which is all well and good, but if Hibbert is going to complain about his touches, the least he can do is go after rebounds to give him the argument that he's trying to help the team however he can.
Does Roy Hibbert's rebounding numbers mute his argument that he's not getting enough touches? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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