Zaza Pachulia saw his first healthy scratch of the season after the younger, more athletic JaVale McGee made his sixth straight start for the Golden State Warriors following the All-Star break.
The 6-foot-11 veteran sat by his locker, scratching his head and wondering why he hadn't seen any time on the court against an energetic and fast-paced Brooklyn Nets team.
“You have to deal with it. Whoever can deal with it, you will spend more time around the team,” Pachulia told Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News. “If you can’t deal with it, nothing will change. You will be out and somebody else will be here. So I just process it and be smart and control the things you can control.”
The change was put in place to spark the Warriors with more energy and make them less vulnerable to disappointing first quarters, forcing them to play catch-up for the rest of the game. So far the Warriors have led after the first in five of their six games in which McGee started, the only exception being a 36-35 first period in which the New York Knicks caught fire, soon put to rest in the third quarter.
McGee finished with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in his 15 minutes on the floor, making way for young rookie Jordan Bell, who later injured his ankle and was ruled out for the game.
Head coach Steve Kerr said “nothing is set in stone” at the starting center position, noting that “Zaza will still make a difference for us this year.”
The big man has still seen action in the last five games prior to Tuesday night, and his teammates have appreciated his unselfishness and willingness to take a back seat.
“Zaza is an ultimate professional,” point guard Stephen Curry said. “He knows he’s had a huge impact in our championship run and he’s going to have an impact in hopefully this one going forward. He’ll stay ready. We are going to need him. He understands that.”
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