WASHINGTON D.C. – Often, supporting players on contending NBA teams are a bigger mystery than the league’s occasional enforcement of travelling or the blatant disregard for foul calls in the final seconds of tight games.
Is the supporting standout made to look better than he actually is because the superstar player hides his flaws and relieves all of the pressure? Or is it a case of the supporting player having to sacrifice his game so much because of the star’s immense shadow and simply needs an escape to grow his game?
Consider the curious case of Serge Ibaka, a player who almost simultaneously benefitted and suffered from having to play with megastars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook the past seven seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.