People tend to forget that before a few thousand extra crapes, Boris Diaw was a key cog in the Phoenix Suns “Seven Seconds or Less Era”, particularly in the 2006-07 season. A versatile player who could play every frontcourt spot, Diaw often found himself manning the pivot in the undersized Suns lineups. There his ability to handle and pass made an offense predicated on ball movement harder to stop. Last night, against one of his former teams, Diaw showcased that ability once again.
In the first clip, Diaw catches the ball from the trail spot and, thanks to a defensive mix-up, finds a plethora of open space. Not too many bigs are capable of making this type play at this pace, but despite the extra poundage, Diaw puts the ball on the deck and attacks the defense. He drives deep into the paint before locating a wide open Matt Bonner in the corner for a wide open 3-point shot.
A few posts ago, I wrote about Marc Gasol’s ability to pass while diving after a ball screen. Diaw possess the same type of ability. Here he screens on the ball, dives hard towards the rim, then delivers a quick, accurate, interior pass to a cutting Kawhi Leonard for a dunk.
The final clip showcases a little of both skills. Diaw catches early on his roll after a screen and uses his dribble to put pressure on the rim. The defense is forced to collapse to him on his middle drive and finds Leonard again, this time for an open three.
Diaw is clearly not the same player he was a few years ago, but he still will provide value to a Spurs team whose offensive scheme requires willing ball movers. Even with teammate Tiago Splitter expected back soon, Diaw will still provide plenty of value. Fighting to hold onto the second spot in the West, the Spurs need a quality fifth big that can produce in a pinch. If Diaw can continue to have solid nights off the bench, it will allow Greg Popovich to find more and more spots to rest aging star Tim Duncan. Resting Duncan without a major hit to his team’s chances of competing in games down the stretch seems like a win-win for a team expecting a deep playoff run.
