Our exit interview series at 213 Hoops continues with a look at the 2022 season of Clippers’ departed big man Serge Ibaka.

Basic Information

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 240 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 32

Years in the NBA: 13

Key Stats: 6.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 15.4 minutes per game across 35 games played (10 starts) on 49/38.7/69 shooting splits (56.7 TS%).

Expectations

Cole’s preview of Serge’s season seems like a light-year away. After a 2021 season where Serge was solid but disappointing after his excellent 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Raptors, Clippers fans were hoping that Serge would provide the outside shooting, rim protection, and limited shot creation that made him such a critical piece of the championship-winning Raptors. Ivica Zubac seemed locked into the starting role after his performance down the stretch of the 2021 season and in the playoffs, but Serge, if healthy, was expected to be one of the better backup centers in the NBA. Serge was still recovering from his offseason back surgery, but hopes were high that he’d be back before too long and would look more his old self.

Reality

Serge Ibaka was largely a non-factor in the Clippers’ 2022 season. He missed the first eight games, played briefly in two games, and then was out another six. During that time, Isaiah Hartenstein came virtually out of nowhere to establish himself as an excellent role player and a key piece to the hard-fighting Clippers’ bench. Serge then played in nine games, including a few big minute-nights, before being out again. In that stretch, Serge shot the ball well, especially from three, but looked slow on defense and contributed nothing else on offense.

Serge then started playing again when Hartenstein was out with injury – and didn’t look too bad, though he wasn’t even as good as he had been in the 2021 season. When Hartenstein did return, coach Ty Lue began an odd rotation where each of them would play in the first half, and whoever was more impactful would then play in the second. While Hartenstein looked gimpy for a bit, more often than not, Hart was the better played, and earned increased playing time at the expense of Serge, who was just too slow on defense and didn’t offer Hart’s energy or playmaking. Serge’s last bright moment as a Clipper came in a win against the Lakers on February 3, where he poured in 20 points on 15 shots, collected 8 rebounds, and blocked two shots in 33 minutes. It was the type of performance that Clippers’ fans had hoped for all along, but it was too late, and Serge was traded at the deadline a week or so later to the Bucks for Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye. And thus his Clippers’ watch was ended.

Future with Clippers

Serge might continue to float around the NBA for a couple of years as a depth piece and veteran mentor, but his days as a key rotation player seem over. Maybe another year removed from his back injury could get Serge back to a high level of play, but at his age with his number of miles that seems unlikely. His parting with the Clippers seemed fairly amicable, but him returning seems unlikely.

Ultimately, while Serge gave the Clippers some good minutes in the 2021 season, the best in franchise’s history, and is a beloved teammate and presence, his signing will be remembered as a major disappointment. It’s not Serge’s fault that he got injured and was never really right with the Clippers, but it did happen, and the guy who was supposed to push them over the top played only 18 minutes in the playoffs for them. Best of luck to Serge going forward, and hopefully his health bounces back so that he can have a better end to his NBA career.

Clippers 2022 Season Exit Interview: Serge Ibaka
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ last trade before the deadline a couple weeks back was moving Serge Ibaka to the Bucks as part of a four team deal where they received Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood in return. Our writers came together to give their thoughts and grades on the Serge Ibaka trade in this roundtable.

Shapan Debnath: B-

Eh, kinda average. Maybe a second rounder would be nice. The TPE may or may not amount to anything, but Serge was wasting away on the roster. Was hoping this move meant others were coming, but instead was a ho hum move that hopefully, at least, leads to Amir getting converted in the near future.

Kenneth Armstrong: B

The Clippers did right by Serge by getting him to a contender, for whom he might have an opportunity to fill a need and get playing time. It was clear that Serge’s time in LA was over: the tension was that he did not have a solid role on the Clippers, but his “stature” as a “championship player” made it awkward for him to be riding the bench behind a guy in Isaiah Hartenstein who barely made the roster during training camp. I am agnostic about the return because I do not think Hood or Ojeleye will be around for long, which is fine. This grade would be better if the Clippers had already converted Amir Coffey to a full roster spot. That was supposed to be the objective paired with getting Serge to a new team, but it hasn’t happened yet, for some reason.

Cole Huff: B

I was one of those guys holding out hope that Serge would eventually come around but with each passing game, it became more and more clear that wasn’t going to happen. It’s too bad, too, because we know how important of a piece a Toronto version of Serge would have been to this Clippers squad. As for the trade, I honestly don’t really know what to make of it. I’m sure there’s likely some smart money management stuff going on with the trade, so there’s that. If they’re actually holding onto both Hood and Ojeleye for the rest of the year, then I’d probably rather have kept Ibaka. Either way, doesn’t seem like a significant trade.

Lucas Hann: B-

Look, sometimes a move is just one you have to make and not an amazing value win that falls in your lap. That’s fine. The Clippers needed to part with Serge and they did so without either having to cut him (costing an extra ~40M in luxury tax penalties and not creating a TPE) or using a 2nd round pick to get someone to take him (saving the tax money and creating the TPE, but costing an asset).  A couple bonus points for sending him to Milwaukee, which they maybe didn’t have to do, and actually writing the Bucks a check to cover the rest of his paychecks this season.  The vibes are right.  I’ll be pulling for Serge to have a good run for the Bucks this spring, and for the Clippers to find a better use for their last two roster spots to make this trade worth it.

Ralston Dacanay: B

As much as I loved the Serge Ibaka signing when it first happened, the way things have worked out since then made it pretty clear he was a prime target to be moved. The main reason this trade doesn’t get a higher score from me is that there’s not much to get excited about this one. It’s one of those moves to set up the next move. LAC essentially took their third-string center and turned him into a large trade exception and saved about $30 million in luxury tax payments. It is great, however, that the front office was able to get this done without having to give up any draft capital. I also do think they did right by Serge Ibaka in the trade, as Milwaukee is an awesome fit and situation for him, and I wish him nothing but the best.

Robert Flom: B-

The Clippers got off Serge’s contract without giving up an asset (and no, cash doesn’t count), which is somewhat of a win. Serge’s tenure was disappointing, and keeping a player of his stature on the roster but out of the rotation didn’t seem tenable, so trading him to a legit contender where he’ll get minutes in the Bucks is great. The reason this isn’t higher is that the Clippers brought over Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye, who I assumed they’d waive to promote Amir Coffey to a full deal and sign a new two-way guy. So far, they haven’t, and every day that Hood and (especially) Ojeleye remain on the roster is somewhat irritating. In other words, I’d give this grade a bump if the Clippers hadn’t gotten anyone at all in return, or had already waived Hood and Ojeleye. Still, not bad.

David Mendez-Yapkowitz: A

The Clippers’ major move this season came before the trade deadline in moving Eric Bledsoe, Justice Winslow and Keon Johnson to the Portland Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. But they had a follow up deal on the deadline itself, sending Serge Ibaka to the Milwaukee Bucks for Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye.

Before the start of the season, it was assumed that Ivica Zubac would be the starting center with Ibaka as the backup. Ibaka was out to start the season while still recovering from back surgery and the team signed Isaiah Hartenstein as extra insurance during the preseason. What they didn’t expect was for Hartenstein to play as well as he did as the backup center and for him to essentially make Ibaka expendable.

When all three of Zubac, Ibaka and Hartenstein were healthy, Tyronn Lue tried a three-center rotation, but it was evident that was going to work long-term. Throughout the season, Hartenstein was just flat out better than Ibaka. Ibaka received several DNP’s earlier this season. With this move, the Clippers cleared up the rotation while giving Ibaka the opportunity to find a role with a contending team that needs him.

So far, neither Hood nor Ojeleye has featured prominently in the rotation and neither one is expected to post All-Star break. This move was solely about the Clippers freeing up a logjam in the rotation for a better player in Hartenstein, and giving Ibaka the opportunity to play a larger role on a good team.

213 Hoops Roundtable: Serge Ibaka Trade
Robert Flom

The Clippers removed Serge Ibaka from their injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Hornets, signifying a likely return for the veteran big man.

Ibaka has been out since the second game of the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs with a back injury, but has been ramping up workouts in recent weeks. Ibaka was the Clippers’ big free agent signing in the 2020 NBA offseason, as they signed him for the full MLE with a 2 year, $19M deal.

Ibaka played in 41 games for the Clippers in the shortened 2021 season, starting 39 of them. In 23.3 minutes per game, he averaged 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks, while shooting 58.8% on 2s and 33.9% on threes (2.8 attempts). While his defense was clearly down from his heights in Oklahoma City, he was still fine on that end, and a reliable midrange jump shooter who had to be accounted for from deep.

Serge will be rusty to start, and it will be shocking if the Clippers don’t limit his minutes (as well as potentially sit him on back to backs), but his offense will be welcome for a Clippers’ squad that has struggled in the halfcourt to start the season. However, where to fit him is interesting – he’s not usurping Ivica Zubac for the starting role, and Isaiah Hartenstein has been mostly solid as his backup. In all likelihood, Ibaka will simply play over Hartenstein, relegating Isaiah to the third-string, but it wouldn’t completely shock me if Ibaka was sometimes deployed as a power forward alongside Hartenstein (or Zu) considering how thin the Clippers are at forward.

Regardless of where he plays, or how much he plays, it will be nice to see Serge Ibaka back out there for the Clippers and hopefully unencumbered by his back injury.

Clippers Remove Serge Ibaka From Injury Report
Robert Flom

Next up in our 2021-2022 Clippers player season preview series is veteran big man Serge Ibaka.

BASIC INFORMATION

Height: 6’10

Weight: 235

Position: Center

Age: 32

Years in NBA: 12

Key Stats: 41 games, 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 blocks, on 51.0/33.9/81.1 shooting splits

Contract Status: Serge Ibaka signed a 2-year, $19M contract with the Clippers during the 2020 free agency period, which included a player option for the second year. He picked up his $9.7M option this summer, opting into the final year of his deal.

EXPECTATIONS

I’ve held steady on my belief that the main reason many of us often felt so “meh” with Serge last season was because he was starting and playing more minutes than Zu, who was clearly the more impactful player of the two. It only validated our frustrations once Zu took over the starting center spot following Serge’s injury, and the Clippers looked much better, especially defensively. However, that doesn’t mean that Serge was a bad player last year. In fact, should Serge be relegated to Zu’s backup (expected) playing 15-20 minutes a night, even the decreased production we got from him last season would make him one of the better second-unit bigs in the league — something we initially anticipated when he was signed.

Now, there’s obviously room for improvement heading into year two with the team. I expect a fully healthy, or at least a more healthy, Ibaka will shoot the ball better from deep. His 33.9 percent last year marked his lowest since leaving Oklahoma City in 2017. Yet, there’s no telling when exactly we’ll get to see Serge on the floor during game nights, as Lawrence Frank recently mentioned during media availability how the 12-year center would be limited to non-contact participation during training camp as he works his way back following the procedure that Ibaka had on his back.

STRENGTHS

Once upon a time, Serge Ibaka was the premier shot-blocker in the NBA. He led the league in blocked shots across the last decade and is second amongst all active players in career blocks. His numbers have declined in that category over recent years, but part of the reason for the decline in his averages per game is due to the way that the game has changed over the years, which would be the emphasis on jump shooting. Still, while he’s not the All-NBA Defensive player he used to be, Serge is still good at taking shots out of the air and erasing shots at the rim. 

Shifting to the offensive end, Serge has developed a steady dribble-drive that stems from the threat he poses as an outside shooter — his drive-and-kick game often created good shots for his teammates last season. No, he’s not isolating his way from the perimeter to the paint, but his ability to utilize pump-fakes and attack close-outs was big for the Clippers’ offense. As his three-point percentage creeps back up near his 36 percent career average, more defenders will feel inclined to close hard more frequently, creating opportunities for Serge to “paint and spray.” 

The Clippers’ near bottom-of-the-league pace hindered Serge’s frequency in shooting the trail three. Off the top of my head, I can’t imagine any times a Clipper pushed the ball in transition, got downhill, and flipped it back to Ibaka for a straightaway three from the top on the arc. This specific sequence was seen more regularly in Toronto with Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and Fred Van Vleet setting up Serge as he trailed the play, which would be wise for the Clippers to emphasize now that they have younger legs and athleticism to push.

WEAKNESSES

Let’s all hope and pray that the Serge Ibaka post-isos are dead and gone. His inability to back his defender down and move him closer to the rim caused a ton of nasty-looking attempts that rarely found the bottom of the rim. Some of said attempts led to Ibaka’s mere 41.0 shooting percentage on non-restricted area shots in the paint, which is a career-low and a number that has rapidly decreased over the past four years. Much of the decline has to do with age and mileage. Last season, in particular, Serge’s elevation and effectiveness in the paint surely was impacted by the back injury that hampered him throughout the season. Combine that with the number of miles that his legs have endured over the course of 12 NBA seasons, and you get the poor percentage that marked Serge’s 2020 season.

Speaking of legs, the former defensive ace looked pretty slow laterally last season. It wasn’t notably awful or anything like that, but Ibaka had a hard time closing out and guarding the live dribble. It was most evident by how the Clippers’ staff chose to use him as a pick-and-roll defender. Ibaka often sat in a drop to prevent having to get too far away from the paint. The drop allowed for Serge to stay and contest shots at the rim, where he’s still perfectly fine, but I think most of the idea behind the scheme was to compensate for Serge’s decline in footspeed. Most of his efforts defending ball-handlers resulted in blow-by’s when stepping up too close and otherwise conceded jump shots in attempts not to get dribbled past.

SUMMARY

Serge is a well-respected and highly-regarded NBA veteran. Despite the up-and-down 2020/21 season in which he dealt with injuries, he isn’t too far removed from a season that led him to become one of 2020s prized free agents. Hopefully, Serge’s #VIBEZ remains immaculate, and that his injuries are limited this upcoming season. That way, he can be integrated into the fold as a change-of-pace, true center that gives the Clippers a dimension that they often lacked last season.

Clippers 2021-2022 Season Preview: Serge Ibaka
Cole Huff

With the Clippers’ season over, we’re breaking it down player by player, reviewing our pre-season expectations for each and considering their future with the team going forward. Next up is the Clippers’ major free agent acquisition from last offseason, Serge Ibaka.

Basic Information

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 235 pounds

Position: PF/C

Age: 31

Years in NBA: 12

Key Stats: 41 G, 39 GS, 23.3 MIN, 11.1 PTS, 6.7 REB, 1.1 BLK, 51.0% FG, 33.9% 3PT in the regular season. Ibaka made just two postseason appearances totaling 18 minutes.

Contract Status: 2021-22 player option ($9,720,900)

Expectations

Serge Ibaka was the big fish. With just the mid-level exception to use, Ibaka was arguably the best free agent the Clippers could have acquired. Hooking him quieted the detractors who had a field day with Montrezl Harrell’s defection and relieved the fans who anxiously watched alternative big men find other homes. At the risk of overdoing metaphors, Ibaka was a big swing, and the Clippers connected.

The accomplished veteran and social media maven presented the Clippers with their ideal center. Defensively, Ibaka could protect the rim or step out to the perimeter. Offensively he could roll to the rim or stretch the floor. He was long and strong enough to check two of the Clippers’ biggest anticipated obstacles: Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic. He was also a champion.

Coming off yet another postseason gut punch, the Clippers had to ask themselves serious questions last November, and Ibaka was a substantial answer.

Reality

Serge Ibaka was so much of what the Clippers needed. For a while.

The story of Ibaka’s season was, unfortunately, one of injury. After starting 39 of the Clippers’ first 40 games, Serge Ibaka suffered a pinched nerve in his back, causing him to miss all but the final two contests of the regular season. He returned to come off the bench, acknowledging that he was still hindered but needed the run-up time to the playoffs. Alas, Ibaka played just 18 minutes in the Clippers’ first two games of the first round before succumbing to back spasms. He eventually underwent back surgery that ended his season for good.

Pre-injury, Serge Ibaka was the versatile starter that unlocked the best version of the Clippers. In addition to the attributes mentioned above, he demonstrated he could be a reliable playmaker, averaging the most assists per game of his career. (By a small margin, but still. . . ) He had a below-average shooting season by his standards, but his mere presence unclogged the areas of the floor in which Kawhi Leonard and Paul George could thrive. Ibaka was a valuable and productive contributor while he was healthy enough to be so.

Future with the Clippers

Reread the expectations section, because it still applies here. Ivica Zubac was a ready substitute, but the improving young big is still underwater in some matchups. The Clippers have a need for Ibaka, and Ibaka showed, when healthy, that he can fill it ably.

Ibaka’s recovery is an open question, although this writer has seen little that would indicate anything other than a return to the Ibaka of old. He has generally been sturdy, playing more than 70 games in eight of his first ten years. His contract option is for an eminently reasonable number.

However, it’s Ibaka’s own option to exercise, not the Clippers’. Whether he can find a better situation is another open question. Ibaka should find no shortage of suitors, but he may find a shortage of cap room. With most contending teams limited to the mid-level exception or worse, Ibaka may determine that his best choice is a return to continuity. With few options at their disposal again, the Clippers would be fortunate to have the veteran back, hopefully for a fitter, more fruitful season.

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Clippers 2021 Exit Interview: Serge Ibaka
Thomas Wood

Well, this isn’t great. A few hours before the Clippers’ pivotal Game 3 tipoff in Dallas, the Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted that Clippers center Serge Ibaka is likely out tonight.

This is bad news, if not entirely unsurprising after Ibaka played a mere 13 minutes in Game 1, 6 minutes in Game 2, and sat on the bench for the entire second half of the latter. Sure, Ibaka wasn’t playing great, but he wasn’t bad either, and he theoretically fits on the court against the Mavs. It seems like the Clippers won’t have him tonight, which will result in a whole cascade of other decisions.

Serge Ibaka was the Clippers’ backup center, but the Clips have increasingly turned towards small-ball in this series, with Marcus Morris or Nic Batum operating as the team’s center. That trend will likely continue in Game 3, with Ivica Zubac probably getting a short leash before getting pulled for the smaller lineups.

However, if the smaller units are ineffective, or Zu gets in foul trouble, the Clippers will have to turn to either Patrick Patterson or DeMarcus Cousins as the “true” backup center. Patterson offers three-point shooting and theoretically swifter perimeter defense, while Cousins provides some interior scoring, rebounding, and maybe some rim protection. In all likelihood, neither guy will play, or at least not more than a couple minutes if desperately needed, but I’d expect Cousins to get the call over PatPat despite his slowfooted defense.

While Serge Ibaka wasn’t playing much anyways, his being out for Game 3 thins out a Clippers’ roster that desperately needs production, and takes an alternative to Zu and small ball out of Ty Lue’s hands. Hopefully the Clippers can overcome the loss of their center and secure a victory on the road. If not, their season will be very, very close to over.

Serge Ibaka Injury Update: Clippers Center Out for Game 3
Robert Flom

Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac are inching closer to their potential after an underwhelming start to the season.

All of us were caught off-guard by coach Ty Lue’s decision ahead of the season to bring Zubac off the bench, and maybe Zu was surprised as well — a logical explanation for his unusually uneven play throughout the first quarter of the season. Ten games into the season, Zu often struggled to make his mark in his new role. He struggled with his hands — constantly fumbling passes while in scoring positions, and averaged just 3.8 rebounds per game, including a zero-rebound effort in 19 minutes against the Denver Nuggets. Not to mention he was being outworked for offensive boards by guys like James Johnson and Derrick Favors. Perhaps the most inexcusable performance came when Zu was dominated on national television by Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall, repeatedly failing to bother the 6’7 forward at the rim. He finished with a team worst -26 and was the victim of three-consecutive Paschall baskets in the third quarter.

Non-coincidentally, Zu’s play began to pick up after the ten-game mark when the bench unit was altered. The three-guard lineup experiment ended, and Ty Lue opted to keep an additional wing defender on the court with the second unit. Zubac has had much more of an impact on games since then, as he has not had to over-extend himself in efforts to compensate for others’ defensive lapses.

In recent weeks, Zubac has acknowledged his play can keep improving in this new role of his, and as long as that self-awareness is there, the effort and results will follow. “I can do much more than my game is showing right now,” said Zubac following a 10-point, 11-rebound outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “But I’m going to keep doing my role the best I can.” 

Despite his stats being only slightly down from the prior season, Serge Ibaka had quietly been as underwhelming as Zubac for much of the first month of play — which is a credit to how good of a player Serge is and how important of a player he could be for this team. He moved a lot slower than expected on the defensive end, lunged past shot-fakes on the perimeter, and generally wasn’t very noticeable on the court when his three-point shot wasn’t falling. The shortcomings were inevitable, though, having joined a new team and having to learn players. For instance, it’s taken a while for Ibaka to develop pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop chemistry with the Clippers’ playmakers. While he’s been effective around the rim, Ibaka has been a bit too inconsistent with his reads — often rolling when he should have popped, which has created spacing issues for the ball-handlers and forced them to make tough-angled passes.

After being propelled by a recent two-game stint agains his former Oklahoma City Thunder team, in which Ibaka averaged 17 points on 14/16 shooting from against a variety of fringe-caliber opposing centers, Ibaka is rounding into the player we thought we’d see. On this current six-game road trip alone, Ibaka has been reading defenses much better. He’s been defended by opposing big men who don’t switch onto ball-handlers in pick-and-roll situations, and as a result of these favorable matchups, Ibaka has been making the right reads to pop for open three-pointers.

The “Clippers need a true point guard” crowd has had to open their eyes and observe how well this team is moving the ball around without one, enabling them to generate great offensive possessions consistently. In that regard, perhaps the most surprising and glaring development over the first quarter of this season has been the IQ of both Ibaka and Zubac as pick-and-roll passers.

Their ability to make plays for others has allowed for the team’s two superstars to play very efficiently, making them one of the better offenses in the NBA to this point.

It goes without saying how important each player is to this team. In order to reach the promised land, both Ivica Zubac and Serge Ibaka will be relied upon to contribute valuable minutes against the elite centers in each conference. And as they develop in their roles throughout the season, their versatility on both ends of the court should continue to contribute to winning.

Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac Are Improving for Clippers
Cole Huff