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Golden State Warriors: Zaza Pachulia Continually Exceeding Expectations

By Angelo Mendoza

Apr 10, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (27) looks at Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) as he holds his eye after a play during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Jazz won 105-99. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (27) looks at Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) as he holds his eye after a play during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Jazz won 105-99. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Zaza Pachulia of the Golden State Warriors has continued to exceed expectations going into the 2017 NBA Western Conference Finals vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

(OAKLAND, Calif.) — Watching Zaza Pachulia practice for the Golden State Warriors, it doesn’t take long to develop the sense that he’s not the most graceful basketball player in the NBA.

That’s not to say he’s not a talented basketball player — he simply doesn’t have the finesse people are used to seeing from guys like Stephen Curry, who just has a way of stringing his dribble moves together in a flawless, connected manner.

Pachulia isn’t the guy to put guys on skates or blow-by his defender. He’s a bruiser, a banger; a big-bodied enforcer there to force the issue in the paint, doing the dirty work down low when Draymond Green is up high being a distributor.

No one — other than that one guy that writes for Blue Man Hoop — knew exactly what Pachulia would contribute being part of the best NBA roster ever assembled. Now 33-years-old, the Georgian big man has surprisingly continued to prove his doubters wrong, becoming a key piece in Golden State’s well-oiled machine.

In 70 regular season appearances, Pachulia averaged 6.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 18.1 minutes, shooting 53.4 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the free throw line.

Considering his numbers are nearly identical to his production last year for the Dallas Mavericks despite playing nearly eight less minutes with the Dubs, it’s safe to consider this season a success for Zaza Pachulia.

Nine games into the 2017 NBA Playoffs, Pachulia has averaged 6.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 15.4 minutes,  shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 91.7 percent from the charity stripe.

Furthermore, Pachulia currently leads all qualified players both on his team and in the entire NBA in both defensive rating (92.5) and net rating (26.7). He’s eighth in the league in offensive rating (119.2), which ranks fifth among Warriors players.

Pachulia deserves more credit for how he’s found a way to be productive with the Golden State Warriors. Much like his budding bromance with Klay Thompson, Pachulia finding a fit may have been completely unexpected, but it’s most certainly a welcome sight to behold.

All stats recorded accurately via NBA.com as of Monday, May 15, 2017, 2:00 a.m. PDT.

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