Key Match-Up
Battle of the bigs
Larry Nance Jr will have his hands full Saturday night with the Bulls young big men, Jabari Parker and Wendell Carter Jr.
with the injuries of Kevin Love and Sam Dekker, the Cavaliers are shorthanded when it comes to post depth, thus creating the need to start Thompson and Nance Jr together. Drew has been hesitant to play the two big men together, but was forced to on Wednesday night. “With two big guys out there, it does give us a little flexibility as far as some of the things we can do on both ends of the floor,” Drew said. “Z played well the other night, so I think between the three of those guys, moving forward we could see a combination of either because they do give me flexibility. Each of the cavaliers big men has a different skill set, but at the same time all three are similar as well. None of the three seem like a true offensive juggernaut, but all have ability to score in their own ways.
Saturday nights match-up will prevent a unique challenge, that the modern NBA has, small ball line-ups. The Bulls started Jabari Parker at the power forward position alongside the rookie Carter. Parker made the most of things, as he went out and got his first double-double (20pts, 13rbds) of the season. Nance Jr and Thompson will have their hands full tonight trying to defend Parker away from the basket, even though both guys have the ability to guard athletic fours, Parker will still present a challenge. These type of match-ups is exactly why coach Drew was hesitant to play multiple bigs, “we have to be able to get back in transition with two bigs, we have to be able to defend the pick-and-roll with two bigs. But more importantly, its got to be a match-up that makes sense.”
While Thompson and Nance Jr will get the majority of the minutes, don’t be surprised to see Ante Zizic get some early action as well. Not only do the Cavaliers lack the depth, but Zizic has shown time and time again that he deserves more minutes. Coach Drew explained the things that Zizic brings to floor the other night, “It wasn’t even really about tonight. I love Big Z’s game. He’s a big man that you can throw the ball into the post to, he has terrific footwork and he can use both hands around the basket.”
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