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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO – Coming off the most hectic stretch of their schedule – 12 games in 20 days – the Raptors were pleased to be back in the gym, getting in a rare day of practice to begin the week.

Hard, physical sessions are few and far between at this point of the season, with playoff-bound teams like Toronto prioritizing rest, and Monday was no different.

They spent most of the afternoon watching film, which is probably more useful anyway, then several players stuck around to get some individual work in with the assistant coaches, as per usual.

Pascal Siakam was perfecting his newfound range, shooting three-pointers on the basket at the far end of the court at BioSteel Centre. Norman Powell, C.J. Miles and a few of the team’s other reserves scrimmaged on the other end. OG Anunoby was practicing his floater with the help of Patrick Mutombo.

As they all finished up their routines and the building began to empty, one player remained: struggling forward Serge Ibaka.

For Ibaka to be among the last players on the court wasn’t unusual, he’s typically one of their most tireless workers. But here he was, roughly an hour after their formal practice had wrapped up – later than he, or anyone, ordinarily stays – launching jumper after jumper.

It’s been tough to get a read on Ibaka in his first full season with the Raptors. Since arriving ahead of last year’s trade deadline, he’s had moments where it’s all made sense – acquiring him from Orlando, investing $65 million in him over the off-season.

He was supposed to be the prototypical modern-day power forward the Raptors had been searching for, an ideal complement to the high-usage backcourt duo of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. When he’s at his best he looks the part. When he’s not, which has been the case all too often of late, he tends to stick out like a sore thumb. That inconsistency can be maddening, given his importance to the team and what we know he’s capable of.

Back in December, for instance, he averaged 16.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 53 per cent shooting, including 49 per cent on 4.1 three-point attempts per game. This month, his worst of the season, has seen those numbers drop to 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks while shooting 39 per cent from the field and 31 per cent from long range.

On the season, his scoring average of 12.5 points is his lowest since 2011-12, and he’s only reached it in four of the last 15 contests.

“Serge just needs to keep his confidence right now,” Miles said the day after Toronto’s 117-106 loss to the Clippers – a game in which Ibaka was held to 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting. “He’s missed some shots. It happens.”

“We talked about it yesterday after the game. I knew he was thinking about it because he asked me about my routine, like how many shots I would take after a game like that. And I told him ‘Man, you’ve just got to stick with what you do, what you do is what’s been working, so just continue to work’. You’re never as far away as you think, so never get too high and never get too low.”

Few understand the short memory a shooter needs to have like Miles – a 31-year-old veteran and one of the league’s premier three-point marksmen. Ibaka, 28, who has nine NBA seasons under his belt, is still relatively new to the ups and downs that come with being a shooter.

He only added the three-pointer to his arsenal a few years ago and he’s never shot it at this volume before. The 589 triples he’s taken over the last two seasons – with Toronto and Orlando – are more than he attempted in his previous seven seasons combined. It’s become a big part of his game and a crucial element of the team’s offensive attack, taking pressure off of Lowry and DeRozan when it’s falling.

However, it’s not how he made a name for himself in this league and it’s also not what the Raptors need or want from him most.

“The most important thing with Serge is rebounding and defence,” Dwane Casey said. “That’s what he’s elite at.”

“It’s something we’re always talking about with him is his rebounding, continue to rebound, continue to attack the glass and make himself felt. He can do that. Serge is one of the toughest guys in the league. He’s real tough. You don’t want to cross him. He’s got to utilize that in the paint with rebounding.”

Ibaka’s pulling down 6.2 boards, his lowest average since his rookie year with Oklahoma City, when he played just 18.1 minutes per game – 9.3 fewer than he’s logging this season. His 1.2 blocks are a career-low.

As much or more than any of the other clearly fatigued Raptor players, Ibaka hasn’t looked like himself over this uncommonly busy stretch, which isn’t entirely surprising. He battled lingering knee soreness early in the season, costing him four contests, and has had more bounce in his step with a day or two of rest in between games.

Given his ability to protect the rim, switch onto perimeter players in pick and roll coverage and close out on shooters, he’s arguably the team’s most valuable defender. Accordingly, as his play has fallen off on that end, so has Toronto’s.

The Raptors were the NBA’s 16th ranked defensive team prior to the Ibaka deal last year. They were fourth the rest of the season (note: acquiring P.J. Tucker, among other factors, also played a part in that turnaround).

In December and February of this season, Ibaka’s best months, they ranked first and fourth in defence, respectively. This month, they’re 14th and have fallen to 26th over the last five games.

“I’m leaning away from the rest aspect,” Casey said. “I think that’s one of the reasons we’re out of rhythm right now is the lack of practice. We’re getting too caught up with rest. I look at our numbers, and some of that is mental. We can’t fall into that. We’ll find a way, if it’s a [rest] day or whatever. But [even if we give him a game off] I promise you Serge is going to be in a gym somewhere working out as hard as he would in a game. That’s the biggest phenomenon in our league right now, rest versus rust. For us, we need practice time, we need to get in the gym, we need to do work. We have enough bodies. If he is tired, we can cut his minutes back on the court.”

Ibaka is something of an enigma. At times it seems like he isn’t playing at full speed or that he’s picking his spots more often than he should. Whether that’s a result of heavy legs, aging legs or even selective effort, it’s not for a lack of work ethic. He’s putting in the time.

The Raptors hope the playoffs can bring out the best version of Ibaka. There won’t be any more back-to-backs and, at that time of year, you should have every incentive to go full bore. In other words, there are no more excuses.

He wasn’t brought to Toronto for December or February, or even for March. For much of this season, Ibaka hasn’t resembled the team’s third-highest paid player but that will be forgotten in a hurry if he can play like it this spring. It’s hard to envision the Raptors meeting their own lofty expectations unless he does.