By my count, there are eight players coming to the NBA after spending at least a year playing overseas.  Throughout the week we are going to look at each player’s individual game one by one, to see what we can expect from them this year in the NBA.

Past Editions: Nikola Pekovic

Timofey Mozgov is a 24 year old center signed as a international free agent by the New York Knicks for $10 million over the course of three years.  Mozgov is a big boy at 7’1″ and 270 pounds, but he isn’t a stiff.  Mozgov has bounce to his step, and he is pretty mobile for his size.  Mozgov has spent the last four years playing for the Russian club Khimki Moscow Region.

Note:  Mozgov wears #25 for his team, Khimki.  You will recognize him in the clips by his high socks.

Strengths

He Can Run The Floor

Some Knicks fans are probably wondering why the Knicks signed a 270 pound big man to play in their run and gun style offense.  Despite his size, Mozgov doesn’t lumber up and down the court:

Mozgov doesn’t get the ball on this fast break, but you can see he can keep up with his point guard in transition.  He isn’t going to run by anybody on the break, but he can fill the lane in transition, making himself available to his PG in the middle of the paint on fast breaks.

Sets Good Screens/Strong Pick And Roll Game

In my opinion, Timofey Mozgov’s best skill right now is the ability to set screens and be the screener in pick and roll situations.  When setting screens, size is Mozgov’s best asset, but he also has fantastic form:

His feet are wide, he gets a low base, and he doesn’t move too much when he gets set.  He simply lets the ballhandler bring his man to the screen.  I also really like Mozgov’s ability to set legal screens in transition:

Mozgov is able to go from running down the court to setting a screen almost seamlessly.  This skill is important (especially when playing for a team that likes to play a fast pace game, like the Knicks) because now the offense doesn’t have to slow down and wait for the perfect situation to get the pick and roll going.  This also catches the defense off guard, and makes the screens even more effective.

Timofey Mozgov isn’t just a screen setter though.  Mozgov’s athletic ability at his size allows him to be pretty effective when rolling to the basket.

Mozgov has a pretty good feel of what the defenders playing the pick and roll want to do and he plays off of it. Here in clip 1, they trap the ballhandler and Mozgov quickly rolls to the basket. However, there are times where he needs to wait a few seconds before rolling to the basket, and he knows when to do that do (which is what happens in clip 2).

Mozgov doesn’t always roll the correct way, but unlike Nikola Pekovic (who we saw roll the wrong way every time).  He waits until after the initial contact is made before rolling.  This makes it less likely that he gets a moving screen set on him.  Also, Mozgov does a very good job of rolling to the open space on the court, making him available for passes at the rim:

Finally, Mozgov doesn’t get disappointed when he doesn’t get the basketball on the pick and roll.  Usually, when the roller is open and he doesn’t get it, they tend to pout.  Well Mozgov rolls straight towards the rim, ready to get the rebound:

Athletic Ability On Defense:

When Mozgov doesn’t have to think on the defensive end and he can just let his athletic ability take over, Mozgov can make some impact plays on the defensive end:

Here, the ballhandler takes it right into Mozgov. No thinking is necessary here, Mozgov just plays the ball and uses his athletic ability to block the shot.

Again, the ball is driven right to Mozgov, and he is mobile enough to not foul and deflect the ball, getting the steal.

Weaknesses

Defensive IQ

I just mentioned that when Mozgov doesn’t have to think and he can just react, he can be a pretty good defender.  However, when he needs to think and make a decision on the defensive end, it tends to be the wrong one.  Now, Mozgov’s team plays a lot of zone, so this lack of instincts when playing man to man defense could be due to lack of experience (which means it can be corrected/his instincts will improve with experience), but right now it is still a pretty big weakness.

Where Mozgov struggles the most is when he tries to defend the pick and roll:

On the pick and roll, Mozgov seems very unsure about when he needs to show and when he needs to stay with his man. In the clip here, this small hesitation before showing is what leads to a lay-up.

In addition to being unsure, when Mozgov does show, it is usually late and very weak. Instead of using his body to cut off the ballhandler and making him pick up his dribble, Mozgov reaches. Here he picks up a foul, but if he doesn’t get a steal the ballhandler simply gets around him and into the lane.

It’s not just on the pick and roll either. In general Mozgov’s instincts on the defensive end are pretty poor:

Here, it is pretty obvious that Mozgov and his teammate should be switching on the defensive end. However, Mozgov doesn’t switch and when he does realize he is supposed to close out on the shot, he closes out late, allowing for the open jumper.

These lack of instincts also hurts him when playing help defense. Often times Mozgov doesn’t know when to bring help. The result is that he usually doesn’t help, and when he does it is too late to make a difference.

Touch A Couple Steps Away From The Hoop

When posting up, position is very important for Mozgov.  When he gets close to the basket, he can use his height to help him finish.  However, when he gets a few steps away from the rim to an area where he needs to use his touch, he seems to struggle getting baskets.

Here Mozgov makes two pretty nice moves in the post, but when it comes time to put the ball in the basket, he can’t finish.

Also, Mozgov doesn’t have a constant jumper, so he is not a threat to stretch the court when he is on the outside.

Conclusion

After watching just a few of Timofey Mozgov’s games, it is pretty obvious why the Knicks made a play for him.  He runs the floor well and is very impressive in the pick and roll game (The Knicks were the best PNR team – when it came to the roll man – last year).  In my opinion what makes him a really good fit with the Knicks is that his weaknesses (bad defensive instincts, no touch away from the basket with his post moves) are in areas the Knicks don’t really concern themselves with, so they won’t be asking him to do things he is bad at.  Mozgov is the perfect candidate to back up Amar’e at the center position, and when he gets his minutes he can be pretty productive in the Knicks system.