Utah Jazz Free Agency: Potential Center Targets
By Ryan Aston
Zaza Pachulia
2015-16 stats: 8.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 0.8 spg, 1.7 apg, .466 fg%, .768 ft%, 16.2 PER
Brace yourself for some weirdness. Zaza Pachulia is one of my favorite NBA players.
In many ways, he hearkens back to a bygone age; the rough and tumble days of the 80s when players like Bill Laimbeer would make you pay for coming into the paint. Or maybe just on a whim, or because they don’t like the look of you, etc. To that end, throw his name into the search bar on YouTube and marvel at all the videos of him fighting people.
It is endless entertainment.
The 32-year-old was a big part of the Dallas Mavericks’ surprising playoff berth this season, starting 69 games for Rick Carlisle. He provided the Mavs with some much-needed toughness up front–something the Jazz could use next season, especially if Trevor Booker ends up playing elsewhere.
Whether or not he’d be willing to accept a reserve role on a young team could be an issue after he played more than 26 minutes per contest last season, but if Pachulia is game, the Jazz would be hard-pressed to find another big with a comparable combination of grit and basketball smarts.
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