It hasn’t taken long for Serge Ibaka to make an impact in Toronto.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey shared a great anecdote from team practice about the leadership qualities of the newly-acquired Ibaka, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.
Casey said Ibaka stopped a defensive drill in practice yesterday to correct a mistake: 1st time a player, not coach, has done that this year
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 24, 2017
Casey on Ibaka: "I love it. That's the defensive leadership, the take command-type of leadership you've got to have from players"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 24, 2017
While it’s somewhat concerning that no Raptors player stepped up like that during the first four months of the season, it also highlights how crucial the Ibaka acquisition was for the team as a whole. Toronto has been sorely lacking an impact defensive presence ever since Bismack Biyombo left in free agency last summer. That made their pre-deadline deals for Ibaka and this other elite defender of paramount importance heading into the second half of the season and the playoffs. Now Ibaka’s apparent abilities as a leader and a culture guy are just the icing on the cake.
