Biyombo’s benefits a welcome addition
He is an old soul and, as coach Dwane Casey often points out, the spirit of the Toronto Raptors, the team’s great communicator.
And, at some level, he’s also the team’s conscience.
Bismack Biyombo possesses both a ferocity and a gentle side, has the willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good and the patience to be always encouraging.
He’s always helping, always there with a kind word when it’s needed most.
Most of what he does on the court goes unnoticed by those who pay attention to raw statistics and nothing he does is lost on his teammates or coaches, but bring up his name and smiles break out, eyes light up. On a team of good guys, he is universally praised for being among the best of them.
“Bismack, man, first of all he’s a hell of a person,” DeMar DeRozan said Wednesday after the Raptors went through a film session at their practice facility.
“I love him to death. He’s one of the greatest teammates you can have. He’s willing to sacrifice everything for the other four guys who are out there on that court. “When you have a teammate who’s willing to do that to try to make everything easier for us, whether it’s scoring or opportunities to get out in transition by rebounding the ball or getting blocked shots. You can’t ask for nothing greater than that.”
The 23-year-old Biyombo has endeared himself to fans and teammates all season with his effort and scrappiness, the style of unrelenting play Casey insists becomes the team’s “identity.”
Biyombo was at it again in Tuesday’s stirring comeback win that gave the Raptors a 3-2 lead over the Indiana Pacers in their NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
He was on the court for the entire fourth quarter of Toronto’s comeback win, setting vicious screens to open space for DeRozan, grabbing seven of his game-high 16 rebounds and punishing the Pacers on the glass despite being the lone Toronto big man on the floor. He was, in the vernacular, a monster and whatever physical pounding he took, he shrugged off.
“I’ve done it for 82 games, I get used to it. It’s nothing different,” he said. “More than anything, there are certain things we have to do as a team — sacrifice your body on a screen or a rebound, whatever it is, in order for us to win.
“I’ve always been that way. How can I set a good screen? How can I go after a rebound so DeMar don’t have to suffer to rebound the ball and score.”
The NBA playoffs would be the per- fect storm for Biyombo to have a major impact on a game or a series. It is not a time for fancy or for athletic; it is a time for tough and physical and, yeah, a bit overly-aggressive when the opportunity arises.
“I think that’s some of the fight we have,” Casey said. “It starts with him. He’s the spirit of our team, he’s kind of the soul of our team. He starts the toughness of our team. He’s probably not the most talented on our team . . . but what he does do far outweighs what he can’t do.”
That’s often the case with players like Biyombo — the focus is on perceived shortcomings in their games rather than the positive attributes they possess.
He does precisely what the team needs.
“It’s just knowing how I can impact the game,” he said. “I always say scoring is not a problem with us and this series is not about scoring. It’s just about who plays the most physical.”