The Utah Jazz announced earlier Tuesday that the team has signed center Tibor Pleiss to a multi-year contract, which makes sense since they were in the market for frontcourt help behind starting center Rudy Gobert and power forward Derrick Favors. Pleiss will split time at center with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. And early on, offense is expected to be his calling card. Tibor Pleiss is yet another German basketball player ie., Dirk Nowitzki, who has continued his journey into the NBA. After a year in Barcelona, the towering 7’3 center is heading west to play for his third team in the sport’s top league.
Pleiss (7-3, 262, Germany) most recently played for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB in Spain, averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game last season. He also shot 62.3 percent from the floor (134-of-215) and was 71-of-82 from the free throw line (86.6 percent). The 25-year-old center logged a career-high 12.4 points on 58.3 percent shooting (270-of-463) and 6.0 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per contest with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria of Spain in 2013-14.
Pleiss is currently the fourth German player in the NBA, following legend Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Kaman and Dennis Schröder. Pleiss has also been selected to be part of the the Germany squad for the European Championships that start on September 5.
“He’s big,” Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said. “He can shoot the ball. He’s an excellent finisher around the rim. Really, our system, with how [coach Quin Snyder] has adopted some Spur principles, some European principles,” Pleiss should be a good fit in Utah.
