Timofey Mozgov Experiencing Rapid Post All-Star Improvement

Four games into the second half of the season; Timofey Mozgov has shown immediate improvements for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mozgov has been an enigma for the Cavaliers this season. His maddeningly inconsistent play has been a point of frustration for the team, as he hasn’t been able to capture the same form that helped turn the Cavs season around when he was acquired in January 2015. Mozgov, while his still been one of Cleveland’s best rim protectors, has been a negative on the defensive end of the floor for the majority of the season. The offensive end has been just as bad, with Mozgov struggling to finish with strength at the rim and his fumbling of numerous passes.

This caused Mozgov’s name to be popped around in a number of trade rumors over deadline week, especially with the Russian’s contract up at the end of the season. No matter how often players deny it, there is no doubt that hearing their name in constant rumors and speculation has an affect. Confidence issues have also been a point of concern for Mozgov and the trade rumors certainty didn’t help. Add in the fact he was still recovering from off-season knee surgery and the first half of the season was for all intends and purposes, a disaster for Mozgov.

However, ever since Cleveland returned from their week long All-Star break, Mozgov has been able to be a positive on the court for the Cavs and is suddenly rounding himself into form.

“No one wants to get traded,” coach Tyronn Lue said after the Cavs most recent victory over the Charlotte Hornets, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “When you hear your name in trade situations it’s always tough. I’m glad we were able to keep Timo and he’s been great. He’s been phenomenal for us the whole year. Coming in, having a training camp, but he was hurt, his knee was messed up. Just having him back now protecting the basket and rebounding the basketball, running the floor and setting good screens. He was great.”

Mozgov’s confidence seems to have spiked since the deadline passed and there has been a direct correlation with his production and effectiveness on the court. No longer is Mozgov hanging his head and beating himself up when he makes a mistake. Instead, the Russian is moving onto the next play and focusing on redeeming that mistake, rather than dwelling on it.

Here is an example from the aforementioned win over the Hornets. Mozgov, after throwing an ill-advertised pass across the court, which was subsequently stolen by Jeremy Lamb, didn’t hang his head. Instead, Mozgov ran hard down the floor and made amends for his poor pass, intercepting one from Lamb, which led to a made shot from Richard Jefferson.

Timo doesn't hang his head after the turnover. Instead, gets a steal of his own on the other end. RJ then c... https://t.co/dI99YgW6SU
— Luke Sicari (@lukesicari) February 25, 2016

Before the All-Star break, Mozgov didn’t have this desire or mindset to forget about the turnover and get back. He was so down on himself that he would jog back on defense and destroy his confidence even more. Now, he is a different player, or turning the corner at least and this play is just an example of it. Mozgov’s numbers since the NBA resumed play after the All-Star break, often referred to as the second half of the season, have been tremendous.

The defensive end is where the Cavaliers need Mogov to be the most efficient. LeBron James has asserted on more then one occasion this season that Mozgov is the anchor of the Cavalier defense, even if the numbers told a different story. Prior to the All-Star break, the Cavs were allowing 103.1 points per 100 possessions with Mozgov on the court, compared to just 100.6 when the big Russian sat. Mozgov wasn’t commanding the paint like a 7-footer should and was exposed when asked to guard out on the perimeter, as his slow feet allowed guards to drive past him with little to no resistance.

This forced former coach David Blatt, who’s been one of Mozgov’s biggest supporters, to opt for Tristan Thompson in the starting line-up instead of the Russian center. Thompson’s ability to switch on pick and roll coverage’s, rebound the basketball, his improved rim protection and a better offensive output all prompted Blatt to sit the struggling Mozgov.

Mozgov is still coming off the bench for Lue but his defensive impact after the All-Star break has simply been sensational. In Cleveland’s past four outings, the team is allowing just 91.0 points per 100 possession with Mozgov on the court, a number which would place them first in the entire league. When Mozgov isn’t on the floor though, that number landslides down to 106.5, a mark that would be good enough for just 27^th in the NBA.

No longer is Mozgov afraid to guard the rim like he seemed to be in the season’s first half. Mozgov is challenging all comers at the basket and even if he doesn’t block the shot, he is affecting it. The Russian is averaging 1.3 blocks post All-Star but his true value is revealed when you notice how poorly opponents are shooting at the basket against him.

The NBA’s official stats database provides two measures of what shooting percentage a player holds an opponent to at the basket- less than six feet and less than 10 feet. Mozgov’s analytics in both departments are astronomically good post the All-Star break. When opposing player’s shoot from less than six feet against Mozgov, their conversion rate is just 30.8%- a full 30.0% less than their regular season average. For shots taken from less than 10 feet, Mozgov is holding the opposition to 30.4%, which is 23.6% below their season average.

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Along with the amazing defensive metrics, Mozgov is also rebounding and scoring at a better rate. In post All-Star play, Mozgov is averaging 8.0 points (up from 6.3 pre All-Star) and 7.0 rebounds (up from 4.2 pre All-Star) per game, while shooting the ball at a higher clip- 57.7% compared to 54.3%. The Cavaliers don’t need Mozgov to score the basketball, so anything they get from him there is simply a bonus. As a 7-footer though, Mozgov needs to rebound the ball better than he has been for majority of the season and the signs coming out of the All-Star break are saying that the big Russian is finally becoming a greater force on the glass.

These numbers are evidence of the dramatic enhancement Mozgov has undertaken since the Cavs returned to the court after the mid-season classic. Whether it’s been an upswing in confidence from not being traded or that his knee is finally fully recovered, Mozgov has finally developed into a positive for this Cavalier unit and he needs to continue this level of play if Cleveland wants to achieve their ultimate goal.

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