Joel Przybilla interview
By InsideHoops.com | Jan. 21, 2009
Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla has been a key contributor to his team this season. Playing 22.3 minutes per game, the veteran does more than his 5.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.02 blocks suggest. He's also shooting 72.9% from the field -- and although most of his shots are right around the basket, that's still ridiculously good. InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner recently met with Przybilla for an exclusive interview.
InsideHoops.com: Your field goal percentage this season, around 74%, is insane. Talk about how you barely miss these days.
Joel Przybilla: I'm not getting many shots a game, but the ones I am, my teammates are giving me good looks. I owe it all to my teammates for getting me good shots.
InsideHoops.com: I know you're focused on winning, but are you also aware of how high it is and keeping it up?
Joel Przybilla: Not at all. I never think about it. To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it in a month... I don't look at stats.
InsideHoops.com: True. It's just noticeable because it's so high.
Joel Przybilla: I don't get many looks. It doesn't mean much for me. I only shoot about two, three, four times a game. But when I do, they're shots that are makeable. Like I said, I got to give a lot of credit to my teammates.
InsideHoops.com: The Blazers look like you could be a championship contender, at least when you're playing as well as you're capable.
Joel Przybilla: The biggest thing for us is to get better as the season goes on. We struggle to stay consistent. It might just be that we're a young team, and we're figuring each other out. For us, the biggest thing is being consistent every night.
InsideHoops.com: What do you think of Greg Oden so far? What's the scouting report on him?
Joel Przybilla: He's playing well. It seems like every time he steps on the court he's getting better and more confident. That's the biggest thing for him right now is to get more confident playing out there, and learning to play with us. And we're learning to play with him.
InsideHoops.com: Have you seen Greg do anything in practice that he hasn't quite shown in a game yet?
Joel Przybilla: No, he's breaking out a lot. He's just getting better every time he steps out there and he's working hard at it.
InsideHoops.com: What makes Brandon Roy as good as he is? He's quick and skilled, but has that X-factor that raises him to another level.
Joel Przybilla: It seems like whenever it's the fourth quarter, he just picks it up a notch. And that's where he takes over games. This is my third year playing with him and he's taken over a lot of games in the fourth quarter. He's got a special gift for it. He's a very special player and I'm just glad he's on my team.
InsideHoops.com: If you were sitting home and wanted to watch any team, just for the fun of it, who would you watch?
Joel Przybilla: I like watching Cleveland just because of LeBron. He's a special player. And seems like a good person. So I really enjoy watching.
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