With Roy Hibbert set to stay in Indiana for the next few years, he has a great shot at putting his name up there in terms of great Indiana Pacers.  We all know Reggie Miller is at the top of the mountain, and I don’t think anyone passes him. I thought Danny Granger could achieve a level just below that notch of Miller, but with a lot of detractors I am not sure he will now.
The best hope is with Roy Hibbert. He’s a guy who can play on the court on both sides of the ball.  I know in most articles I talk about I state how Hibbert needs to be more consistent, and this should be the year we see that.
But the thing that Roy Hibbert has going for him is that he’s embraced Indiana as a home.  Look at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, and what do you see?  Area 55, a section dedicated to Roy Hibbert fans that show up each game and cheer their heart out for him.  He is very fan friendly as he took out those members for a movie early this summer.
You can tell as he’s playing how much fun he’s having with that big smile on his face.  He does radio interviews and you don’t feel like there’s any of the cliched business, but more of the actual Hibbert talking.  He’s already been to one All Star game, and has more chances to go in the coming seasons.
Finally, he looks to be building that confidence that is needed to playing the grueling NBA season.  In games last year, I didn’t see much of the hanging head that previous seasons had.  I didn’t see a less aggressive Hibbert after missing some shots.  He’s asking for the ball, and taking it to the basket more often. He’s taking pride in his defense and rebounding abilities. Most of all, he’s taken pride in putting on that Pacers jersey, and that’s the most important factor.
Can Roy Hibbert join the likes of Reggie Miller, George McGinnis, Roger Brown, and Rik Smits?
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