Age: 28
Years Pro: 7
Status: Has one season left on his contract.
Key Stats: Averaged 4.3 points and 5.8 rebounds while playing 18.8 minutes per game. Played in 61 games.
Except for that one issue, Ian Mahinmi had a solid season as the Pacers' backup center. He played more than in the two previous years and played better, too, often taking fourth-quarter minutes away from Roy Hibbert. All in all, his performance was on a par with that of his final season in Dallas (2011-12), which inspired the Pacers to sign him to a four-year contract.
Mahinmi is quicker and faster than Hibbert, and offered a better matchup against some opposing centers. It was difficult for coach Frank Vogel to leave him on the court in the final minutes of a close game because of that one issue, but he did anyway on occasion .
In the six games he started in place of Hibbert, Mahinmi averaged 7.5 points on 61 percent shooting and 7.5 rebounds in 24.8 minutes. Stretch out those numbers over a 36-minute appearance – starter minutes – and you have yourself a decent starting center.
PHOTO GALLERY: Ian Mahinmi's 2014-15 Season »
Make no mistake, though, Hibbert was the better performer this past season. The stats, when adjusted to the same amount of playing time, make that clear. Much of Mahinmi's value lies in the fact he knows his place as a backup, doesn't complain, and can contribute when called upon because of his athleticism and hustle.
But he does have an issue: free throw shooting. He hit just 31-of-102 attempts (.304). He was even worse in home games (.273), and worse still in his six games as a starter (1-of-12, .083). He started the season well, hitting 4-of-5 foul shots over his first eight games, but slipped into an abyss that swallowed his confidence. He had games in which he went 0-of-6, 1-of-9 and 1-of-8. Over the last 19 games of the season, he hit just 4-of-27 attempts (.148).
The odd part is that his form is decent and that he's usually on target. He's just either short or long. And the really odd part is that he's been a good foul shooter in the past. As a rookie with San Antonio in 2007-08, he hit all nine of his foul shots over six games. He also hit 63-of-82 attempts (.768) in Dallas' championship season of 2010-11. And, he had hit better than 60 percent in his first two seasons with the Pacers.
Something got into his head, obviously. Knowing that he shot well in the past could help him remove the demon and start fresh next season.
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