Zaza Pachulia almost got voted into the All Star Game
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Georgian international, Zaza Pachalia, has reemerged this season and almost makes the All Star game.
In his thirteenth season in the NBA, Zaza Pachalia has reestablished himself as a legitimate big man. After he was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Dallas Mavericks for a future second round pick, he was written off by many.
The journeyman is now, against all odds, putting up numbers he hasn’t achieved in a decade. He has also emerged as a fan favorite in Dallas. All of this may shed light onto his earning of 768,112 votes toward an All-Star appearance, falling just one place behind Kawhi Leonard.
Zaza’s inexplicable reemergence may have much to do with his new team. While on the Bucks, he seemed to always stuck in their constant state of rebuilding. He had even adopted the role of a mentoring veteran. On the Mavericks, though, owner Mark Cuban expects his team to win. Dallas wants to make a final attempt at deep playoff runs in Dirk Nowitzki’s final seasons.
With the departure of Tyson Chandler and the spurning by DeAndre Jordan, the Mavs were in desperate need of a big man. Although it is likely that Dallas did not expect such gaudy numbers from a 13 year veteran who had been largely overlooked on smaller franchises throughout his career, he is now averaging 10.5 points and 10.8 rebounds a game.
Zaza hasn’t put up numbers like this since the 2006-2007 season, when he was an Atlanta Hawk. Though almost a decade separates these feats, he has reached another pinnacle in his life. And he was almost rewarded with an All-Star appearance.
While he fell just short of what would have been his first All-Star game, Zaza is fortunate to be on a team that could make a playoff run in the west. While the West is stacked with teams like the Warriors and the Spurs, at least he may get a chance to contend in the final stages in his career, alongside another veteran international player, Dirk.
Things are good for Zaza right now. He is playing great basketball and is a hero in Dallas. And he has surely earned it.