Boris Diaw Gets Going
It was a rough start to the 2016-17 NBA season for Boris Diaw. Not only has he been dealing with a lingering leg contusion, but he had looked awful in his first six games as a Jazzman. Hopefully the injury was a leading contributor to that and we will see an improved Diaw throughout the season moving forward as he gets healthier.
Because he certainly looked like a different player in Wednesday’s win over the Nuggets than what we had seen so far this year. Through six games, Diaw was averaging just 2.2 points per game on 23.8 percent shooting from the field and 12.5 percent shooting from deep.
We got more of the box score that we had expected out of the 13-year pro on Wednesday as he went 4-of-7 from the field and 1-of-2 from deep to finish with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers. He, for once, didn’t look lost on the court and aside from missing a pair of shots close to the basket, provided a solid offensive lift.
Boris is DOIN WORK tonight!!! 9 points (3/4 fg), 2 assists and 2 rebounds so far...#OuiOui #DENatUTA https://t.co/S1tvSSztsF
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 24, 2016
In essence, Diaw did exactly what the Jazz signed him to do. He played a smart, clean game, provided an offensive lift off the bench, and made his teammates better with good passing and firm decision making.
It was a night and day difference from what he’s shown so far.
In his defense, he has been battling the aforementioned injury and of course I can’t imagine the kind of adjustment it must take to go from a Spurs team to any other in the league, so hopefully Diaw’s latest performance is an indication that he is getting more comfortable and that we should continue to see improvement moving forward.