The Lakers have brought in an imposing physical presence at the center position, as they signed 7-foot-1, 275-pound Timofey Mozgov on Friday.
The six-year veteran shot a career-high 56.5 percent this season, while averaging 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. He also started 48 games for Cleveland en route to its first-ever championship.
Though Mozgov shot 61.2 percent from the field after the All-Star Break, he played only sparingly for the playoffs, averaging 5.8 minutes in 13 appearances.
However, the Russian made an enormous impact during the Cavaliers’ run in the previous postseason, particularly by defending the basket and holding opponents to a playoffs-best 38.8 percent (45-of-116) clip at the rim.
Mozgov — who turns 30 on July 16 — was also a load offensively and on the boards against Golden State in the 2015 NBA Finals. He started all six games and, as the frequent second option behind LeBron James, provided 10.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per contest.
That Finals performance featured three double-doubles, including a 28-point, 10-rebound explosion during the Cavaliers’ loss in Game 4.
That year’s regular season was also kind to Mozgov, who ranked fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (55.5), while averaging career-highs in points (9.7) and rebounds (4.8).
Though most of his numbers dipped this past year, Mozgov — who had knee surgery before the season — did remain effective on the defensive end, where he held opponents 3.3 percent worse than their seasonal field goal average, which tied Tim Duncan for seventh among centers.
“Timofey is a player who has shown the ability to change the game at the defensive end, and fills an area of need for us at the center position,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “We are very pleased to add him to our team.”
Though he doesn’t have much of an outside shot, Mozgov also has a calling on the other end. Enormous yet nimble, he averaged 1.22 points per pick-and-roll play on 66.1 percent shooting this year — both of which were sixth among players who took 60 such shots or more.
Mozgov was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by New York in 2010 before being traded to Denver, where he played under its then-head coach — and current Lakers associate coach — Brian Shaw.
Prior to his NBA career, he played in Russia from 2004-10. Two years after his departure, he helped his homeland to a bronze medal at the London Olympics by averaging 10.0 points per game.