Zaza Pachulia
Age: 32
Height: 6-foot-11
Career stats: 21.5 mpg; 7.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.3 bpg; 46.1/074.6 shooting splits
2015-16 stats: 76 games, 26.4 mpg; 8.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg; 46.6/0/76.8 shooting splits
Strengths:
• Hustle play/dirty work/little things
• Veteran presence
• Fan favorite at every stop
• Rebounding
Weaknesses:
• Scoring
• Rim protection
Why he makes sense for the Warriors:
Zaza Pachulia had an impressive season serving as the Dallas Maverick’s starting center, acquired as insurance after the DeAndre Jordan fiasco. He would fit in the Warriors’ plans for the same reason that he was a revelation in Dallas: he works extremely hard, he does all the dirty and little things a team needs on the frontline and he’s a tough rebounder. His veteran presence would be a boost to a team that gave up a 3-1 Finals lead. He plays with hustle and fire, another quality the Warriors seemed to lack in the Finals. Golden State’s center situation is currently up in the air and adding Pachulia would be a cheap, underrated insurance move that could pay dividends if the Warriors whiff on their top free agent targets.
Why he doesn’t make sense for the Warriors:
The Warriors need a center that can score. They have stayed one step ahead of the league while relying almost entirely on perimeter shots and perimeter passing actions that can lead to cutters and inside shots, but they have no inside scoring presence whatsoever beyond Draymond Green, who is only 6-foot-6. The Warriors would benefit from having a scorer inside to lift some of the defensive pressure from Curry and Thompson, and Zaza is not that scoring center. He also struggles to protect the rim, averaging just 0.3 blocks for his career. The Warriors’ collapse in the Finals prove they need a tough interior player who can anchor the paint and man the rim.