<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > preface</h1>
Zaydrunas Irgoskas, the backbone of the 96 Golden Generation, is one of the few players on the Cavaliers to enjoy the benefits of retiring jerseys, and the best center James has worked with during the 1.0 era; he was selected as an All-Star twice in his career, leaving an indelible contribution and memory for the city of Cleveland. Nicknamed "Polish Hammer", Gortat's career is much more bumpy, growing step by step from the initial rookie, seizing his own opportunities, and has also become the team's internal gate in the Sun and Wizards, shining. So which of these two European centre-forwards is better?
Big Z and Gotatt
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > background and career</h1>
Background situation of big Z
Yao Ming defends big Z
Born on 5 June 1975 in Lithuania, big Z is a 221 cm tall center who played early in his career for his hometown team Kaunas, averaging 20.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. In the 1996 NBA Draft, Big Z was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round 20th and played for the Cavaliers and Miami Heat in his career.
In his rookie season, he joined Duncan in the Rookie Team of the Year, as well as the MVP of the Rookie Challenge, and was named to the NBA All-Star Team twice. On October 1, 2011, "Big Z" Zaidrunas-Ilgoskas officially announced his retirement. On March 9, 2014, the Cavaliers held a jersey retirement ceremony for the Big Z during the break of the game against the New York Knicks at home.
Gotatt's background
Gotatt
Born in Poland on 17 February 1984, Masin-Gotatt is a 211 cm tall and 240 lb (108.9 kg) tall centre forward. Born into a sports family, Gortat's father was a boxer who won two Olympic bronze medals. His mother was a volleyball player who was a member of the Polish national team, his brother was also a boxer, and Gotat started out as a footballer, he also played for a football club, but slowly switched to basketball due to his height.
At the 2005 NBA draft, he was selected by the Suns with the 57th overall pick in the second round before being traded to the Orlando Magic, less than three years into basketball. It was only after the deal that the Magic did not recall him, but let him practice overseas and develop alliances, and did not recall him to the NBA until 2007, and since his debut in the NBA on March 1, 2008, Gortat's career seems destined to be a minor role, having played for the Magic, Suns, Wizards and Suns.
Career statistics comparison
Big Z and Gotat data comparison
Big Z's career average is: 13 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.6 blocks, 47.6 percent shooting and 78 percent from the free throws.
Gotatt's career average: 9.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.1 blocks, 55.1 percent shooting and 68 percent free throw shooting.
As can be seen from the comparison in the figure, the basic data of the big Z is generally better than That of Gortat. Whether it is the regular season or the playoffs, big Z's scoring, blocks, free throws, frontcourt rebounds, etc. are better than Gotat, and Gortat's shooting efficiency, effective shooting rate, rebounding ability, etc. are better; and the number of appearances, playing time, assists, steals, etc. are not much different.
Comparison of data from Big Z and Gotat
Gotatt (left) and Big Z (right) regular season totals
In terms of total career statistics, big Z's performance is also better. Big Z scored 10,976 points and 1,327 blocks, much higher than Gortat's 7,951 points and 885 blocks; Gortat's total of 6,407 rebounds and 229 double-doubles were better than Big Z. And big Z's career turnover reached 1509 and foul counts reached 2776, which is much higher than Gortat's. From these data relationships, it is not difficult to see that big Z has a heavier role on the offensive end, and the team also needs his score to help the team; while Gortat only needs to do his job - rebounding, defending and blocking, and their positioning roles in the team are very different.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > performance on the offensive end</h1>
Big Z performances in each season
Big Z season stats at a glance
Big Z played for the Cavaliers for 12 years, except for the cavaliers' final year averaging 7.4 points per game, the other seasons averaged more than 11 points per game, the highest was 17.2 points in the 02-03 season, and this year the Cavaliers record was only 17 wins and 65 losses, which was the third worst team in the league, but Big Z was still selected as an All-Star. He averaged 29 minutes per game in his career and shots around 10-13 times, all of which were relatively stable. The most criticized thing about Big Z is that the offensive efficiency is really not high, as a center, the shooting rate is only 47.6%, but the free throw shooting rate is acceptable. He only had 3 seasons in his career shooting more than 50%, which was still the first two seasons and retirement seasons, and he had 3 seasons that were below 45%, the lowest was 43% in the 01-02 season, which was probably only a medium level in the defender. But in the original Cavaliers, Big Z took on a lot of inside offensive figures, and for him, such a performance was also quite qualified.
Big Z, like his predecessor Sabonis, is a classical European pile center, with a high basketball IQ, excellent technology, rich offensive means, low singles, high mid-range shots, and can also score points after shaking opponents through realistic fake moves, and has a complete, dead-end-of-the-ball offensive skills within the three-point line, thanks to the fact that in his youth, he played as an organizational defender and small forward, and finally moved to the center position. After 2003, Big Z, Drew Gooden and James formed the core framework of the Cavaliers. And these abilities of his are the Cavaliers' offensive weapons, when James's offense is blocked, Big Z relies on his height and technical advantages to open up the situation for the team's offense, and is one of the few players in the Cavaliers who can share the pressure of James' offense.
Gotatt's performances in various seasons
Gortat season stats at a glance
Gotat's NBA career is quite tortuous, 12 years of career, averaging only 9.9 points per game, his performance in the Suns and Wizards is the best, there are 8 seasons to average more than 10 points per game, the highest is the 11-10 season of 15.4 points and 10 rebounds double-double data, the others are around 12 points, the first 4 seasons average of less than 4 points per game, playing time is very little, and the main reason why Gotat can not play is that his body can not withstand the NBA level confrontation at that time. In order to strengthen his physique, he took his mother to Orlando as his nutritionist, and after his mother's arrival, the effect was immediate, in just two months he grew five kilograms and maintained a body fat rate of 3.9%!
He's played in the summer league and pre-season before, he doesn't feel worse than others, he's still confident in himself, but the years on the bench are eroding his confidence and patience a little bit. In order to be able to play, he does a huge amount of training 5 times a day, and he thinks he is in good shape, but he still sits on the bench in a suit and shoes every time he plays. At that time, he felt that the twenty thousand people in the stadium were watching him and his suit, and frustration followed, hitting the depths of his heart!
But Gotat never gave up, and the following year Van Gundy slowly discovered Gortat's abilities and began to make him Howard's main substitute. This season he played 63 games, started 3 games, averaged 12.6 minutes per game, 3.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks, which is a very humble statistic? But what if you convert him to 36 minutes? The stats have become 10.8 points, 13 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, and Gortat has grown into a first-class center who averages two doubles per game, which is why Van Gundy reused him.
Therefore, the opportunity is still left to those who are prepared, and when he comes to the sun, he ushers in the transformation of life. In the next eight years, Gortat was extremely efficient, except for the 12-14 seasons, his shooting rate remained above 56%, it can be said that Gortat played a very good performance with a few ball possessions and shots. Technically, Gortat is a long inside with excellent mobility, good at blocking and dismantling down and empty cutting, with a medium range, both hands can jump hooks, the ability to close the frame is quick and concise, the quality of cover is excellent, but the back-body singles ability is mediocre, and in general, he is a conscientious pie-eating center.
Comparison of performances at the peak of the season
Shooting heat map of the big Z04-05, 02-03 seasons
Gortat's shooting heat map for the 13-14, 11-12 seasons
The two seasons where Big Z performed best were the 04-05 and 02-03 seasons, but it can be seen that his shooting efficiency is still not excellent, and the offensive range is acceptable, but the shooting rate in the paint area is always only about 50%, and his performance relies on a good number of shots and uses his own ability to play. On the other hand, Gortat, his efficiency is much better, the basket shooting rate is more than 60%, but the offensive range and means are obviously much worse than the big Z, and in these two seasons, he has stood by the side of john Wall such an excellent passer, Gortat only needs to block the cake under the demolition and some small hookers under the basket on the offensive end. Overall, the Big Z's offensive and tactical position are unmatched by Gortat.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > performance on the defensive end</h1>
High-level data aspects
Big Z: 23.3% usage, up to 27.8% in the 02-03 season; WS value 66.3, the highest 8.7 in the 05-06 season; per per value of 18.5, the highest is 21.9 in the 05-06 season, and has 2 seasons over 20; rebounding rate is 15.7%, offensive board is 12.4%, block rate is 4.3%; overall defensive efficiency is 103, the best is 97 in the 97-98 season.
Gotatt: 17% usage, up to 22.7% of rookie seasons; WS 61.3, up to 8.6% of 14-15 seasons; PER value of 17.1, maximum of 21.2 of 11-12 seasons, which was the only time it exceeded 20; rebounding rate of 17.5%, offensive board 9.7%, block rate of 3.3%; overall defensive efficiency of 104, the best was 97 in 08-09 seasons.
A glance at the high-order data of Gotat and big Z
Defensive end capabilities
Big Z is generally talented in the defensive end, slightly poor confrontation, mediocre physical fitness, good frame protection ability, but poor defense and average physical fitness. The slow movement speed, especially the lateral movement speed can be described as more than enough and insufficient strength, and the natural muscle type is also doomed to be not the kind of strong man who fights with his opponents on the inside. But with a super high basketball IQ, and their own on-court experience to make up for their physical weakness, the defensive end is still a reliable player.
Gotatt's overall defense is not much better, but he is physically strong, tough on the defensive end, and his movement speed is not fast, but it is slightly better than big Z; he has more than 1 block in 6 seasons, and his height of 211 centimeters, with good mobility and prejudgment ability, makes him a good frame guard.
Defensive summary
Big Z and Gotatt's defensive skills and abilities are not excellent, which is the drawback of most white center, not all of them can be like Gasol Jr., but they are definitely not a defensive colander, and the two are half a pound and eight or two, which is considered a qualified interior defender.
Larry Hughes, Big Z, James
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > summary</h1>
Big Z and Gotat have achieved good results for themselves in their careers, of which Big Z has been selected as an All-Star twice, although the star flavor is slightly insufficient, but it is enough to prove his strength, he can not reach the height of a star center, but he is still a rare excellent center, the ability belongs to the three leaders of the strong team; and Gotat slowly seized the opportunity from a water dispenser player to become the team's starting center, the ability is considered to be the playoff team's positive Indian center role, These are inseparable from his constant reminder of his efforts and commitment, and his tireless exercise and training like a machine. Overall, big Z is obviously the better one.
The vast majority of people in the world are extremely ordinary, so people who work hard are always worthy of respect.
Throughout big Z and Gotat's careers, it was as flat as a road on a prairie, with some ups and downs, and you could see high mountains and even snow-capped peaks, but it seemed that you would never get there. They start at one point on the road, stop at another point on the road, and stop to enjoy the scenery, but they always leave a touch of their own color in the NBA world.