Roy Hibbert made his NBA debut yesterday for the Indiana Pacers in their 100-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Here is his first box score line:

• 6 MIN
• 1-2 FG
• 1 BS
• 2 PTS

Hibbert first entered the game with 3:21 to play in the first quarter. I’m sure that Big Roy was a little nervous, but it must have been a bit of a relief when after only 17 seconds he saw Kwame Brown coming in off the bench for the Pistons. Immediately, Brown badly missed a shot after trying to go one-on-one against Hibbert. On the other end of the court, Roy took a pass in the post, methodically made his move, and made a spin move and reverse layup around Brown. Then Brown tried to answer by forcing his way into the paint. Brown’s hook shot missed, to make him 0 for 2, with both shots being affected by Hibbert. A few moments later on the Pacers’ final possession of the half, Hibbert got the ball near the high post with the shot clock winding down. Roy had to shoot, and forced a turnaround bank shot well off the mark. Hibbert was replaced to start the second quarter.

Roy returned in the second quarter with 3:36 to play, but this time he had to cover a much more dangerous opponent in Antonio McDyess. Hibbert was making sure that McDyess couldn’t receive the ball, but it didn’t look like the Pistons were trying that hard to get it to him. In Hibbert’s only offensive chance in the second quarter, Brandon Rush drove to the hoop, drew a double team and then tried to find Roy with a wrap around pass under the hoop. It was a good pass, but Roy couldn’t hang on to it, resulting in his only turnover. He did not appear in the second half.

So, Hibbert’s debut is behind him, and hopefully so are whatever opening night nerves there may have been. We’ll keep you updated on Roy’s progress and stats throughout the NBA season, but there is one trend that might not be a good sign for the big fella. The starting center for Indiana is Rasho Nesterovic – a 10-year NBA veteran from Slovenia who is a typical European big man with good hands and good range. Hibbert is the back-up center, but could be number three on the depth chart if Jeff Foster (a 6’11″ player listed as a forward) plays some of the five spot. That’s not the problem. The problem is that the Pacers as a team took 67 field goal attempts, and only 9 came from those three Indiana big men. If game 1 is any indicator, Roy’s going to have to look for his shot whenever he can, since the Pacers seem to run a guard-oriented offense.