Bucks center Zaza Pachulia expected to make preseason debut on Monday
By Brad Rowland
The last time Milwaukee Bucks center Zaza Pachulia played in an NBA game was way back in April of 2013 (with a different franchise in the Atlanta Hawks), but all signs point to a return to floor for the big man on Monday.
Zaza Pachulia expected to get his first pre-season burn @Chicago tonight. Post-game recap later on http://t.co/Hmzg0We1ki.
— Jim Paschke (@Paschketball) October 21, 2013
Various reports (including the above from the Bucks play-by-play voice, Jim Paschke) indicate that Pachulia will make his Bucks debut on Monday against the Chicago Bulls, after returning to practice late last week. The former Hawks big man has been a serious fan favorite in Atlanta over the past few seasons, but he actually played with Milwaukee early in his career during the 2004-2005 season.
The 29-year-old big man tore his achilles during an April game with the Hawks, but still commanded a 3-year, $15 million contract to follow his old coach, Larry Drew, to the Bucks. He is a bruiser by trade, but he’s a quality rebounder (9.6 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career) who brings a physical dimension to a frontcourt that includes skinny/athletic types like John Henson and Larry Sanders.
It’ll be extremely interesting to see how Larry Drew deploys his suddenly loaded frontcourt, but we’ll get our first opportunity to see a glimpse into his mind when Pachulia hits the court on Monday.