Pachulia shows value in Hawks’ win

Charlotte — Zaza Pachulia is glad to be back.

He’s glad to be back smiling again, glad to be back playing with confidence again and glad to be back in the mix for the Hawks after a season of wandering in and out of the playing rotation, the training room and coach Mike Woodson’s doghouse.

As excited as Pachulia is about his triumphant return to form, Woodson is even more excited, because he knows if the Hawks are going to achieve their goals this season, they’re going to need everything the 6-foot-11, 275-pound Pachulia can give them.

“What I love is that he’s doing dirty work again,” Woodson said Saturday before the Hawks’ 102-96 preseason victory against Charlotte at Time Warner Cable Arena. “And we need him to do that. And when we have he and Al [Horford] going like that, we’re going to be that much better.

“But I don’t think there’s any doubt that ‘Z’ is back to doing some of the dirty work that made me praise him so profusely a couple years ago.”

Pachulia entered Saturday’s game averaging 9.5 points and a team-leading 7.5 rebounds in exhibition action, including working as a starter in the last game with Marvin Williams sitting out with a hand injury.

Pachulia grabbed 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes in a 102-100 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday at Philips Arena, conjuring up images of the bruising big man who held the center position for the Hawks three years ago without adequate support.

Jason Collier’s death during training camp before the start of the 2005-06 season forced Pachulia into a starting role, and he responded by averaging 31.4 minutes, 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds while starting 78 games.

He was still going strong the following season, battling through injuries to start 47 of 72 games and average a career-high 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds.

But Horford’s arrival last year and another round of nagging injuries during training camp cost Pachulia his starting job and his peace of mind. His confidence plummeted like his numbers — 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds.

It was until the playoffs, when he famously went nose-to-nose with Boston superstar Kevin Garnett in a Game 4 altercation that set the tone for the entire series, that Pachulia finally seemed to regain the swagger that fuels his game.

He has continued that climb back ever since, a complete mind-and-body makeover that hasn’t escaped the radar of his teammates and coaches.

“I’m happy for ‘Z’ because I saw how tough it was on him last year,” Josh Smith said. “To be able to get back up and get back to normal for him is going to be huge for us, too.”

Pachulia said his resurgence has been simple.

“I just feel better, my body and everything else,” said Pachulia, who finished Saturday night with 12 points and 10 rebounds. “I struggled so much with the injuries, then losing my starting job and everything, it was a tough time for me mentally. It was just hard for me get everything back on track. But I had a great summer in so many ways, and I feel great now.”

His recovery was bolstered by events off the court as much as it was by anything he did on the court.

Pachulia got married in May, and he and his wife, Tina, welcomed their son, Davit, to the family during the Hawks’ road trip two weeks ago.

“Davit is a big motivation for me,” Pachulia said. “I’m looking forward to [having a family]. I’m not trying to be nervous or put any pressure on myself. I’ve done great things on the court, so I know I’m capable of doing them again. I just have to make sure I’m on the right page with coach and doing the right things for my teammates and everything else will take care of itself.”