Timofey Mozgov: The good, the bad and the ugly
The Bad
While Timofey Mozgov was signed to fill a need with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time at center, he was only serviceable at best over the course of the 2016-17 season.
In his sixth season in the league, Mozgov averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 54 games for the Lakers. But only playing 20 minutes per game on a young, inexperienced roster is a bit concerning.
Sports Illustrated‘s Ben Golliver pointed out concerns about Mozgov’s style of play and fit with Laker personnel the day he agreed to the deal, just a few hours into 2016 NBA free agency.
"“The initial reaction from many observers will be that the Lakers went too far here in both dollars and years. That’s true, but the bigger concern is Mozgov’s fit with L.A.’s young core. The slow, physical Mozgov found his greatest success in Cleveland when the tempo slowed way down during the 2015 playoffs. In a half-court game, Mozgov was free to play off of LeBron James as a cutter and to use his size to finish in pick-and-roll scenarios.”"
Golliver makes an excellent point about his success in Cleveland, mainly attributing to their slower style of play, and Mozgov’s ability to finish in pick-and-rolls with his large frame.
Golliver continues by expanding on Mozgov’s defensive deficiencies just as the deal was agreed to, stating the “upgrade” over former Lakers center Roy Hibbert isn’t really much of an upgrade at all.
"“L.A. is left hoping (praying?) that Mozgov can bounce back from a rocky 2015-16 season, as he ranked 75th out of 76 centers in Real Plus-Minus and posted a below-average 14.6 Player Efficiency Rating following offseason knee surgery. Even at full health, though, Mozgov will struggle to cover for his teammates’ many defensive deficiencies and he’ll need to completely adjust his expectations after going from a contender to one of the league’s worst teams.”"
So, where’s the hope with the Nets? Look no further than Brook Lopez’s expanded game under development-focused head coach Kenny Atkinson.
With a new offense consisting mainly of perimeter motion and pace-and-space with the Nets, Mozgov will have to rely on trailing some plays to knock down deep two-pointers.
Brook Lopez found much success with that last year adjusting to Atkinson’s offense, making 134 three-point field goals after only making two the previous year.
Sure, there may be some opportunities for Mozgov to expand his game, but the overall pace of the Nets’ offense may make it hard to keep Mozgov on the floor.