Oklahoma City Thunder star Serge Ibaka targeting All-Star level – NBA Update
Serge Ibaka is confident of making it to the All-Star game sooner rather than later. The player revealed as such in an interview, where he also talked about playing in a team with young superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Serge Ibaka is currently focused on playing in the Euro Basket tournament for Spain, although he was born in Congo. The player stayed in Spain for three years and has been granted Spanish citizenship, making him eligible to appear
for the country in international tournaments.
However, Ibaka took time out to talk about his future targets in the NBA and believes he has enough in him to be an All-Star forward. Asked straight about his chances of reaching that level, Ibaka replied,
“Yes, I see it happening in one or two years.”
The rate at which he is currently going two years does seem realistic. The Oklahoma City Thunder forward established himself as one of the premier defensive big men in the league last season. His inspired defensive play, underlined
by his stunning shot blocking abilities, helped the Thunder mount a deep run in the playoffs.
Oklahoma City were eventually shown the door by the new NBA World Champions, Dallas Mavericks, in the Western Conference Finals, but the team certainly has a lot of positives to take from the run. Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins formed
what is a serious contender for the best defensive front court partnership in the league. While the performances of two time scoring champion Kevin Durant and exciting point guard Russell Westbrook showed that the Thunder are now ready to hang with the big
boys.
Ibaka was asked about the two stars and whether their presence on the team limited his offensive opportunities, but the player replied in the negative,
“Well… I feel very good about my current role. They will both help me improve my offensive game. On the defensive end, the role I have is very important for me.”
Serge made clear that he knew his true strength lies on defence and believes that is what will make him an elite NBA player,
“If one day I become an All-Star, it will not be only because of my offensive game. My job on the defensive end will count too.”
He might be selling himself a little short by those assertions though because there is definitely offensive potential in the 21 year old. Ibaka is athletically gifted to the point that he was able to pull off a takeoff from behind
the free throw line dunk at the Slam Dunk contest, something incredible for a player his size. He also added a good mid range jumper to his game last season that is definitely a big bonus for the Thunder.
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