A lot of people were throwing a lot of shade on Boris Diaw at the beginning of the season due to his very slow, very tubby, and very, dare I say it, FRENCH start. I admit that I threw my share of shade on him along with everybody else. Shamefully, I was one of the shade-throwers. I admit it.
It’s not Diaw’s fault that he’s had to start games. He was never supposed to be the starter. We can blame Derrick Favors and his fragile old-man body for that. Diaw is strictly a utility player off the bench at this point. Just like depriving him of his pre-game espresso and croissants is not a good idea, neither is starting him a good idea.
But he’s just one of the long list of Jazzmen who have started games when they were never expected to. Diaw, Mack, Ingles, Lyles, Exum, Bolomboy (just kidding with the last one), they’ve all had to start games because of the fragility of their more skilled teammates. It’s the Mormon injury curse.