Detroit Pistons: 3 reasons Zaza Pachulia was a good pickup

3. Provides physical toughness

Detroit stars Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond aren’t the most physical big men in the NBA. Actually, both have the reputation throughout the league of being soft defensively, and Drummond is known to shy away from contact. After demolishing the Pistons in 2015, Milwaukee Bucks wing Khris Middleton explained their strategy against Drummond.

"“We just tried to be physical,” Middleton said of the Bucks’ plan for Drummond. “We know he doesn’t like contact. Once he misses a couple, he is going to get down on himself and start forcing tough shots. Greg [Monroe] did a great job of just making him shoot tough shots and not letting him get to his right hand.”"

Adding Pachulia gives the Pistons a much needed boost in physicality. His toughness has also earned him a reputation of being one of the dirtiest players in the league. Between 2011-17, he finished in the top 15 in flagrant fouls.

Though having the reputation of being a dirty player can be viewed negatively, it’s an asset to have a player like Pachulia on your bench. He played a huge part in the Golden State Warriors winning the 2017 Western Conference Finals. With the Spurs up 21 points midway through the third quarter in Game 1, he rushed to defend a shot from Kawhi Leonard and ended up crowding his landing space. Consequently, Leonard landed on his foot and missed the rest of the series.

You can argue whether or not the play was dirty, but what you can’t argue is that it completely changed the dynamic of the series. No one should ever celebrate a player getting hurt, nor should similar plays be expected or embraced by the Pistons.

However, if he can avoid further incidents like this, his physicality will be a welcome addition to a roster accused of being soft.