Indiana Pacers: 30 greatest players in franchise history

20. Roy Hibbert

Before Myles Turner became his heir apparent, Roy Hibbert held down the paint for the Indiana Pacers. An old school, shot blocking, back to the rim type of big, Hibbert eventually got completely left behind by the modern NBA as he fell from grace and was unable to secure a meaningful role on a team. But prior to that, Big Roy was a monster.

A two-time all-star during his prime with the Pacers, opposing players on offense were downright scared to challenge Hibbert at the rim (looking at you, Carmelo Anthony). The paint became a black hole when Hibbert was in the game, which played possibly the largest role in the Pacers’ defense being one of the best in the NBA for several years during Roy’s tenure with the team.

During his heyday, Hibbert was a dependable option in the post to get a bucket, which gave him enough value along with his defensive prowess to vault him into the upper echelon of Eastern Conference big-men at the time.

Hibbert’s high level of play at the 5 was the anchor that gave Indiana the stability they needed to make three straight deep playoff runs during the era of the Paul George Pacers.