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He was signed about a week into free agency, given an NBA veteran’s minimum deal after the dust had settled around the league. But one game into what is expected to be the Warriors’ bounce-back season, Nemanja Bjelica looks like he could be on his way to a personal bounce-back year.
Bjelica played 26 minutes off the bench in the season-opening win over the Lakers, scoring 15 points with 11 rebounds and four assists. He made six of the seven shots he attempted, including a 3-pointer, and was a plus-20 when he was on the floor. Warriors Twitter certainly took notice:
With Steph Curry struggling to make shots (5-for-21), it was players like Bjelica who kept the Warriors’ offense humming. Coach Steve Kerr, speaking on 95.7 The Game’s Damon and Ratto show on Wednesday, said that Bjelica was able to take advantage of the added attention the Lakers gave to Curry in what amounted to 4-on-3 situations.
“(Curry) generated every single possession, every single advantage we had because the Lakers had to blitz him,” Kerr said. “And I think that’s the beauty of our team this year. We are built to take on 4-on-3. Bjelica is really a hell of a basketball player and we’ve all watched him stretch the floor, be a pick-and-pop 3-point shooter. But he’s showing what he’s about with his ability to pass, and dribble and make plays. When you get 4-on-3 with guys like Draymond, Belly, Andre, making plays with shooters like Jordan Poole and Damion Lee, Otto Porter, now you’re going to get good shots every time.”
Bjelica had a Down Year in 2020-21
It’s just one game, but it is clear that the Warriors offer Bjelica a chance to revitalize his flagging career. Because of injuries and his defensive deficiencies, Bjelica was mostly out of the rotation with the Kings to start last season, playing only 16.9 minutes in 26 games, averaging 7.2 points. The Kings swapped him at the trade deadline to Miami, getting Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva in return.
Bjelica struggled to get time in Miami, too, though, averaging just 5.0 points in 14.2 minutes. Only five times last year did Bjelica top his minutes total from Tuesday’s Warriors debut.
He was, as Kerr referenced, part of a balanced attack for the Warriors, one of six players who wound up with double figures. Curry had 21, Poole had 20, Bjelica and Damion Lee had 15, with Andre Iguodala and Andrew Wiggins posting 12 each.
That’s what Bjelica said he was looking for when he signed with the Warriors.
“I mean, it took less than a minute,” Bjelica said back in September, of agreeing to a deal with the team. “This is the best place for me now, opportunity, to be part of this franchise, especially what they accomplished last seven, 10 years, when they were growing as a team with guys like Steph and Klay who definitely changed today’s basketball. It’s one of the best teams in the league and I’m happy to be here.”
Bjelica Played Center for the Warriors in the Opener
Probably most interesting about Bjelica’s opening performance was that Kerr used him exclusively as a center, something that Miami toyed with last year. Bjelica pointed out that when he was coming up in Europe—he did not sign on to play in the NBA until he was 27—he was mostly used as a big point guard.
His passing skill should make him a good fit for the Warriors, as Kerr mentioned.
“When I was seeing them in previous years and I see how well Golden State plays, they play fast, they play simple,” Bjelica said. “There is—I know I’m a stretch-4 in the NBA. But I think here on this team, I can do so many other things. I hope I’m going to show that. Doesn’t matter which position I’m going to play. Ten years ago, I was a point guard, now I can play 5. Stretch-5, you know? As long as I am on the court and I can help the team win, I’m ready to go.”
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