Obviously biased here because I don't like Moz, but in Zu's limited minutes his ability to work the pick and roll and be a facilitator/passer/scorer off the short roll to the free throw line where we have a man advantage is huge in Luke's system. He can hit the 15 footer, he can find the open man on the pass and his post game is polished enough where he can make 1-2 dribbles and get a hook shot if need be. And he will only improve with better conditioning and footwork. Defensively he still gets worked a bit d/t being a rookie, but his ability to block shots is huge. Just being vertical doesn't cut it anymore like years past, players are adjusting and Moz isn't a threat to block anyone. If Moz isn't getting paid 16 million, Zu is taking his spot. I don't have any problem benching Moz because Zu is the type of big man that is going to get more agile that can keep up with the pace and play of today's game, Moz is what he is, a tall stiff.
I agree 100% with what Zubac brings to our offense. His defense out in space is really bad, but hey he's got to learn. The good news is Mozgov is only playing 20ish minutes a night. Give the rest to Zubac and screw small ball. Or if we go small, give even less minutes to Mozgov and put Larry or Tarik in.
I really liked the Nance/Zu combo last night, both showed good chemistry last night. Zu has definitely graduated from the D-League IMO and finding more minutes for him is a must the rest of the season. If Moz is having one of his I should be paid like a 16 million dollar player games, leave him in, but otherwise let Zu takes his bumps. Tarik is turning into a sell candidate at the deadline which is fine because the way Zu is progressing he's coming for someone's spot.
I don't believe playing Zu more minutes will diminish or improve Mozgov's trade value. Moz has shown that he's healthy this year, and the league already knows what Moz can do when he's 100%. Teams that are interested in acquiring him will express interest at the deadline. Teams that aren't interested won't bother to call.
Agreed. If anything, benching Moz and letting him go against other 2nd stringers may help his production and his per minute stats and he will look better to teams that use advanced metrics in their scouting. That said, I don't see any team calling about Moz. If a team needs a big, they are far more likely to call other teams for the likes of Amir Johnson, Bogut, Nurkic, Monroe, Kanter, Vucevic, Okafor, Chandler, Cauley-Stein and probably numerous others before they even look Moz's way.
If Luke doesn't play Zu cmore minutes than Mozgov going forward, I will be the first with the fire luke chants.
really good hands and great patience on the catch. his first little hesitation/drop-in was textbook marc gasol/tim duncan. really froze gobert. contrast that with moz, who isn't super creative or patient, and just tries to power through (gobert viciously ate one of those). if zubac can learn to defend the pick and roll, this is quite a find.
His January is NOICE for a 19 year old. 7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 0.9 assists, and 49% FGs. Mozgov on the season is: 7.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 0.8 assists, and 51% FGs.
I think with his length there's ways he can defend the pick and roll relatively well, but it'll always be a problem. Still, his rim protection and his offensive polish look real. He's got a long way to go, but there's fantastic signs here.
Man this kid looks really good. I honestly didn't expect much out of him this season. Figured he'd need a year or two to develop, but right now he's about as promising as anyone on this team.
i think there's a legit chance he wins the starting position in camp next year, assuming typical progress physically and mentally.
What a lot of the big men hate doing in pick and rolls is hedging. Hedging is crucial to stopping a pick and roll from breaking down a defense, for them to move the ball from up high, and force the player to go horizontally, rather than towards the basket. They obviously prefer to sit back, wait for the attacker to come in. But in today's game 1. Players pull up for 3 and bigs are two slow to contend those. 2. The guard drives right by him and scrambles the defense. I'm not saying Zu isn't at fault as well, but Luke has to teach this team how to defend the pick and roll more effectively, ESPECIALLY our perimeter players who seem to always get dragged behind the play. If Zu or Moz hedge on the screen, someone has to rotate to his man in a sort of zone type of defense down low so that they have time to recover to their man.
