Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert will square off for the first time this season when the Nets and Pacers meet tonight at Barclays Center.
But after the two of them both hit the open market in July as the top two restricted free agent centers in the NBA, they will be coming from very different places.
Lopez had spent nearly all of last season on the sidelines watching in street clothes thanks to a pair of foot injuries that limited him to all but five games. Hibbert, on the other hand, had a breakout season, making his first All-Star appearance and helping the Pacers give LeBron James and the eventual defending champion Heat all they could handle before eventually falling to them in six games.
But after Lopez received a max-deal to re-sign with the Nets and Hibbert’s max offer sheet with Portland was matched by Indiana this summer, the two have seen that script flipped so far this season.
While Hibbert largely has struggled — with his points, rebounds and shooting numbers all down — Lopez has been terrific and potentially could find his way onto his first All-Star team. Despite missing seven games with a sprained right foot, Lopez is leading all centers in points per game (18.5 per game) and is the only player in the league averaging at least 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“No, not at all,” Lopez said after scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds in Friday’s 99-79 win over the Suns, when asked if he’s thinking about an All-Star spot. “I’m focused on doing my best to help the team win, and I just want to be the best player I can be and the best teammate I can be.”
Lopez arguably has been the team’s most important player this season, as the Nets have gone 19-10 with him in the lineup and saw their month-long slide in December begin when Lopez went down with that sprained foot in a victory in Boston on Nov. 28.
Though Lopez and the Nets have gotten back on track under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo , winning seven of their first eight games with him in charge, just two of those games — a blowout loss to the Spurs and a blowout win over the Thunder — have come against teams with winning records.
That will change quickly over the next couple of weeks, though. Beginning tonight against the Pacers — who are 8-2 in their last 10 games — the Nets embark on a stretch in which they will face an opponent with a winning record in eight of 11 games.
“Indiana’s been playing great,” Joe Johnson said after Friday’s win. “I’ve gotten a chance to watch them a few times, and we’ll definitely be geared up and ready for that game.”