Roy Hibbert Calls Decision On Lakers A ‘No Brainer,’ Expects To Play At An All-Star Defensive Level For New Team

Roy Hibbert has had a pretty tough run this offseason, to say the least. Most recently, he was all but forced out of Indiana in a situation where the team just chose to go in a different direction. Fortunately for Hibbert though, this may be a very good thing. As ESPN put it, he’s one of three players the Los Angeles Lakers brought in this offseason who are looking for a “fresh start” in 2015.

When it was reported that Hibbert would be traded to the Lakers for a future second-round pick, many fans simply rolled their eyes. The Lakers had just missed out on players like LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, and DeAndre Jordan, so was Roy Hibbert just the only other option?

The answer should simply be, “who cares?”

If Hibbert wound up in a Lakers uniform because the team just needed help inside, he seems to care less. Hibbert has made it widely known that his focus is to play at an All-Star defensive level for his new team, according to the Orange County Register.

“I expect to play at an All-Star defensive level, and everything else will come,” Hibbert said Wednesday.

Best of all, as Lakers.com reports, Hibbert seems intent on dropping weight this offseason to up his game.

Roy Hibbert changed his diet and told me he dropped 16 pounds from his playing weight last season, down from 283 to currently 267.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 22, 2015

Part of Hibbert’s goal in dropping so much weight is to get a bit quicker and adapt to how the league has gotten smaller.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 22, 2015

For me, it’s the second part that really jumps out. Hibbert may have been forced out of Indiana and no longer wanted by the Pacers, but he’s talking and acting like a man with a chip on his shoulder. If Roy Hibbert is able to keep the weight off and return to his dominant defensive ways, the Lakers may have gotten a steal.

Imagine a faster, thinner (but likely stronger) Hibbert defending the post for the Lakers? It seems like a pretty strong add, especially if Los Angeles only had to give up a second-round pick for Hibbert. The Lakers may have been pushing for multiple other big men this offseason, but maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to give in on Roy Hibbert.

While Hibbert saw his blocks per game drop to 1.6 last season from an average of 2.26 over the previous three seasons, we should expect a new mindset in 2015. Hibbert has never been an offensive juggernaut, though, as that just isn’t his game. With that said, if we can temper expectations and know what to really expect from Hibbert next season, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t make for a great fit in Los Angeles.

[Image via Andy Lyons/Getty Images]