Assessing early returns on Serge Ibaka’s start with the Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks were included in a massive four-team deal at the NBA trade deadline that saw them acquire Serge Ibaka last week. Given Milwaukee’s need for a big man that has haunted them throughout the season, many praised general manager Jon Horst for making the move.

On paper, Ibaka seemed like he would be a perfect fit with the Bucks from the moment the trade was announced. However, the on-paper method can oftentimes be deceitful. For instance, look at Milwaukee’s trade for Nikola Mirotic back in 2019. Now that Ibaka has played in three games with the Bucks, including one start, fans have finally gotten to see him on the floor and in action.

With that said, let us look at how the veteran has performed with the Milwaukee Bucks thus far.

Looking at Serge Ibaka’s early play with the Milwaukee Bucks

Statistically, Ibaka is averaging 6.7 points, six rebounds, and one assist in 26.3 minutes per game with the Bucks throughout his first three appearances. He is shooting 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from the floor and 2-of-7 (28.6 percent) from behind the arc. Although these numbers come in a rather small sample size, the overall fit with Ibaka appears promising early on.

Offensively, Ibaka seemingly understands his role on this team. Given that the Bucks did not bring him aboard to score the basketball, the big man has not received a hefty amount of shot attempts, but when he has, they have either mainly come right at the rim or from 3-point territory.

As coach Mike Budenholzer tends to do, he has given Ibaka the green light from behind the arc to space the floor better when Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the floor. Knocking down just two of his seven attempts thus far, the big man has struggled to find his groove from the outside. The bulk of his opportunities came in Milwaukee’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers this past Thursday, where he shot just 1-of-5 from deep and 2-of-8 from the floor overall.

Despite these early shooting struggles, the looks have been there for Ibaka on the offensive end, particularly from deep. According to NBA.com/stats, he is shooting 1-of-2 from three when given four-to-six feet of space and just 1-of-5 when given six or more feet of space. Playing alongside Antetokounmpo, the big man will continue to get these open looks from three, and if he can start hitting them with some regularity, it would be a tremendous boost.

Given that he has shot 35.9 percent from three for his career, Ibaka is bound to start hitting them sooner rather than later, especially given the number of attempts he will receive.

Defensively, the veteran has provided exactly what the Bucks have been looking for with starting center Brook Lopez missing most of the season. Though Bobby Portis has done a fantastic overall job of filling in for Lopez in the starting five, the big man has not brought the same intensity on the defensive end, which no one ever expected him to do. While Ibaka has not replicated Lopez either, he has done a quality job of providing some interior protection when he is on the floor.

Statistically, Ibaka’s defensive numbers have been solid as he is holding opponents to 26-of-60 (43.3 percent) shooting from the floor. A significant portion of that has come from inside the arc, as Ibaka’s opponents are shooting 21-of-46 (45.7 percent) on 2-point tries, while they are hitting 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) from 3-point range. Sure, those are not lockdown numbers, but Ibaka has done a reputable job of simply giving the Milwaukee Bucks another hulking presence to utilize.

Although Ibaka, or anyone else on the Bucks, did not have much success guarding Joel Embiid in Milwaukee’s last game against Philadelphia, having him was important for that matchup. Due to the defensive limitations or Portis, having a robust defender like Ibaka will be a luxury for the Bucks because he can make things difficult for bigger players. It was somewhat on display against the 76ers when matching up against Embiid on several possessions, but the big man just had an overall outstanding game.

Overall, the early returns from Ibaka have been positive. The 3-point shooting has been less than ideal, but that is largely due to that lone game against the 76ers. Once he gets situated and finds a rhythm from out there, things will flow more smoothly. Defensively, the veteran has allowed head coach Budenholzer to remain versatile with his lineups and give them a quality defensive big man. To make things short, the Bucks needed another center, and Ibaka has been that to this point.

Hopefully this is just the beginning of something special for Ibaka in Milwaukee.