A lot of time is spent waiting for Serge Ibaka, which is by no means a bad thing and a simple fact of life for the Raptors.
He’s always the latest out of practice. Maybe it’s 40 minutes, maybe it’s an hour but he’s working, generally doing his routine right in front of the waiting reporters. Elbow bridges. Pick-and-roll jumpers. Baby hooks in the ward. Three points capture and shoot. Work. Work. Relentless work. A metronome.
After the match? There are shots to lift, cures to be done, showers to be taken, a body and a mind to take care of. The hustle and bustle of the post-match locker room ebbs and flows and Ibaka goes about his business in his spare time.
And in games? Games matter more and are often worth the wait.
“I remember Rex telling me this, Rex Kalamian (a former Raptors assistant), because he had him in OKC,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. “You said, ‘Serge isn’t doing much,’ and he said, ‘Wait, just wait, he goes.’
“And he does that often, it’s an interesting part of who he is. Sometimes you have to be with him because he makes big plays at both ends of the plan late or mid-late. “
The nurse was speaking in the aftermath of Ibaka’s best stat game of the playoffs, a 20-point, 13-rebound gem in Game 3 against Brooklyn on Friday.
Ibaka came into play as usual at the end of the first quarter to charm the starting center Marc Gasol. Things didn’t start well – Ibaka missed the first four pitches – but then he pitted eight marks in a row.
It is patience. As always with Ibaka.
“You always try to do better, you always try to improve in this game,” he said. “After the game you always watch the tape and you always try to understand (ways to improve).
“Even when we get a (win) we always try to find a way to improve because we know that the further we go in the playoffs, the more difficult the game will be.”
One thing that helps Ibaka go offensively every game is playing alongside Fred VanVleet. The two have developed a sense of timing in the pick-and-roll action that gets one of them an open shot more often than not.
Again, it comes from patience.
“The best thing about Serge and me is that we continue to communicate with each other, from possession to possession, from game to game, from practice to practice,” VanVleet said. “Let’s keep talking. He’s telling me what he sees. I’m telling him what I see. We both like to take open photos. We keep trying to find ourselves and find that chemistry. I think it took some time for Serge to trust me and vice versa. Let’s keep working on that relationship. We hope we can continue in the future. “
Ibaka said he always finds listeners available in those conversations, which is not surprising given the number of open hits he gets teammates like VanVleet.
“The great thing about this is, my point guards, they really like to listen, they like to listen,” Ibaka said. “Whenever I go to talk to them, I say, ‘Listen, next time I put a screen on the other side, then I’m going to roll, and that’s the good thing about them.’
Ibaka’s play – more his defense than his offensive – will be central to any sustained success the Raptors will have after overtaking the Brooklyn Nets. They can finish the series in four games on Sunday.
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The Boston Celtics are likely second-round opponents – they lead Philadelphia 3-0 and can end their streak on Sunday – and the attacking duo of Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter can be relentless rebounders. Ibaka will also have to change and guard the perimeter as he goes back to protect the circle.
It is a tall order but not something he is incapable of. It just takes time.
“He was a beast for us on the defensive side and on the glass,” VanVleet said.
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