Serge Ibaka

Posted by Johnathan Kendrick on June 25, 2008

Serge Ibaka if selected by the Jazz will be absolutely no help this upcoming season. He probably won’t even be ready to help the year after that either. He is a guy that carries the somewhat sought after, somewhat feared label “Potential.” Serge is very young and will turn 19 in September. Growing up in the Congo, he has only played organized basketball for a few years. This last year in Spain.

He is 6’10”and weighs 220 pounds. His natural position is Power Forward, but if he continues to grow or bulk up – could play Center as well. The Center and Power Forward positions are interchangeable in the Jazz system. He is strong and very athletic boasting both speed and a 40+ inch vertical jump. My favorite part of his game if his turn around fall away jumper in the paint. What the Jazz will like is that he is under contract to play overseas in Spain again next year, and could spend an additional year overseas after that - giving him plenty of time to develop. The other thing the Jazz like is that he learned Spanish in one year. He is a smart kid who is very mature. Maybe it comes from being one of seventeen children.

If drafted by Utah, Serge would be brought along slow, kind of in the model San Antonio has used with their foreign players. Or the way the Jazz watched and waited before brining Kirilenko to the team.

Ibaka is an attractive prospect who once developed could be a “lottery” talent. It’s hard to imagine any one the Jazz select at 23 having an impact with the team this coming year. Drafting Ibaka will allow the Jazz to sign a free agent or one of their second round picks. From this point on for the Jazz – building through the draft is about the future. Ibaka is the perfect candidate for that.

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