Scouting report
+ Overpowering, wrecking ball of a big man who plays with unbridled physicality.
+ Good scorer around the basket. Draws fouls and can catch. Brutal ball handler.
+ Poor defensive rebounder. Competes on defense but doesn't move well.
Analysis
On a per-minute basis, the NBA leader in points in the paint in 2011-12 was not Dwight Howard. It was not LeBron James or Blake Griffin or Andrew Bynum.
It was Nikola Pekovic, and that fact underscores just how good he was in his second pro season.
I understand the reluctance to give him the most-improved award since he didn't play a full season, but it's worth noting that Pekovic made the single biggest PER improvement in more than two decades. Pekovic's double-digit jump from rotation afterthought in 2010-11 to vital cog in 2011-12 was more than a point better than the next-largest leap, by Miami's Dwyane Wade in 2008-09.
His value could be seen immediately when an injury ended his season -- for all the talk of how Ricky Rubio's demise affected the Wolves, the loss of Pekovic at nearly the same time hurt them just as badly.
The most important development for Pekovic was to get him to stop fouling on every play, and he underwent a rather dramatic transformation in that regard. After leading the league with a shocking 8.16 personals per 40 minutes as a rookie, he fell to 3.51 last season -- one of the lower rates among centers. His other big weakness, turnovers, also became much less of an issue. That went hand in hand, as many of the fouls were offensive fouls from illegal screens and his road-grader-in-reverse method of posting up.
Eliminating turnovers left him free to do what he does well, finish around the basket and rebound. Pekovic averaged a point every two minutes while converting 65.9 percent of his shots in the basket area; he also helped himself with a 74.3 percent mark from the free throw line. He made only six shots outside 10 feet all season, but his free throw mark suggests he could convert short-range jumpers as well. Pekovic's rebound numbers, a big disappointment in his rookie campaign, also proved very solid.
Defensively, Pekovic doesn't move particularly well, nor does he block shots, but he's learned how to be physical without fouling and his size really helps in post defense. Minnesota gave up 3.3 points per 100 possessions more with him on the court, but he's so valuable offensively that it's a minor price to pay.
