Portland Trail Blazers' Joel Przybilla: Grading the 'Gorilla' on His Performance

Joel Przybilla played his first NBA game in 359 days tonight. His first game in his return to the Portland Trail Blazers came against the Miami Heat, a team that reportedly pursued Przybilla heavily.

As a fan favorite during his first stint in Portland, it should be no surprise he was welcomed back with open arms and riveting applause from the Blazer fans.

But how did he fare on the court against the Eastern Conference’s best team?

Offensively: C+

Przybilla’s first shot attempt of 2012 was ugly. Thinking he was fouled, he put the ball into the bottom of the backboard.

After that he recovered.

While he was not brought back to Portland to be an offensive weapon, he is able to make contributions. The biggest way is through setting screens. His presence has been felt, literally, by Miami defenders.

Przybilla spent a lot of time at the top of the key, and not because he can knock down 18-footers. It’s because his ball screens can knock down defenders.

He managed to score four points and made both of his free-throw attempts.

Any scoring from Przybilla comes as a bonus for this team, so his four points are a plus.

Defensively: A-

In his season debut, he tied for the game-high with two blocks. He held his ground down low. And he took one hard foul on LeBron James, announcing nothing will come easy in the paint against Portland with Przybilla.

But his lack of conditioning also let James take an alley-oop from Dwayne Wade that was thrown right over his head.

The seven-footer simply had no lift in his legs. Had he been able to get off the ground a little bit, he would have been able to contest the shot and perhaps limit the Heat’s highlight reel just a little.

Save for that one play, Przybilla did his job.

Rebounding: B+

In 19 minutes of play, Przybilla pulled down six rebounds.

He got off to a quick start, pulling down three rebounds as soon as he entered the game. Like Dennis Rodman, Przybilla has a knack for knowing where the ball is going to come off the rim.

He will never be the most athletic player on the court—especially when playing the Heat—but he has the wherewithal to know where to be to snatch up boards.

That was demonstrated to a T tonight, as several of his rebounds came with one foot—if not both feet—still on the ground.

Conditioning: C-

While Reggie Miller and Kevin Harlan will never be mistaken for demigods of basketball knowledge, it was clear to them and the national television audience that Przybilla was not in shape.

Which is to be expected. The guy hasn’t played an NBA game in a year.

But not being able to jump is an aspect of his game Przybilla will need to improve. A vertical leap is an important asset for an NBA player.

But for a guy who was expected to play somewhere between 10-15 minutes a night, to be able to come in and log 19 mostly productive minutes during his first game back is a good sign.

As Przybilla plays his way into shape, he will increase his productivity on the court.