Zaza Pachulia falls unintentionally (but fans still want him suspended)
Zaza isn’t the problem
This season, Pachulia has appeared in 50 games, averaging 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 14.7 minutes per game. He’s shooting 60.5 percent from the field and 82.4 percent from the free throw line, and his +4.0 ranks sixth on the team.
He also currently holds a net rating of 14.6, which ranks second behind Jordan Bell‘s 14.9. Looking at the on/off court numbers, the team tends to score 5.7 more points per 100 possessions with Zaza on the floor, but he also allows opponents to score a negligible 0.2 more points per 100 possessions when he’s roaming the hardwood.
Zaza Pachulia on Russell Westbrook’s claim that he intentionally tried to hurt him: “No comment. That’s childish. Come on. I’m not responding to that.”
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 25, 2018
Despite what many fans might believe, Pachulia has been a positive for the Warriors in the limited amount of minutes he receives every night. He’s certainly not the most athletic big man on the roster, but he’s rarely proven detriment to Golden State’s overall system.
He has, however, proven himself to be extremely clumsy.
Next: Warriors rout OKC 112-80
Who knows? Maybe he’s acted like klutz his entire career to give him some plausible deniability in these situations. Maybe he’s some kind of evil genius pleading ignorance when in fact he’s a rogue wrecking ball out for blood.
Considering there’s people out there that think Pachulia was capable of breaking his fall or stabilizing himself somehow after being tripped, I guess anything is possible.