At 3.9 blocks a night, the third-year center is not just leading the league — he is lapping it, and opponents have stopped testing the paint entirely.
The advanced numbers tell the same story from a different angle. Since the calendar turned, the lineup’s net rating has climbed into the league’s top five, driven almost entirely by transition defense and a sharp cut in turnovers.
The medical staff will re-evaluate in two weeks, but the timeline matters less than the structure around it. Minutes restrictions, back-to-back management and a deep rotation give the training staff room to be conservative.
The margin for error at this stage of the season is razor thin, and both benches knew it. Every possession in the fourth quarter was contested like a playoff closeout, with coaches burning timeouts early to stop runs before they became avalanches.
