SAN FRANCISCO – Nobody among the postseason Warriors, not even Jordan Poole, has come further, faster than the eldest of their little big men.
After an uneven regular season, Nemanja Bjelica is revealing a better side of himself in the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets.
It’s only two games into a best-of-seven series, both Golden State victories, but Bjelica’s timing is impeccable.
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“He’s been really, really good these first two games,” coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday. “It’s been fun watching him play.”
Bjelica’s 9.0-points-per-game, over 15.5 minutes per, amounts to 20.7 points when extrapolated to 36 minutes. Though he has missed all three of his 3-point shots, he is 8-of-9 inside the arc.
Whether he’s entering the game to replace starter Kevon Looney or to give Draymond Green or Otto Porter Jr. a break, Beli is finding ways to offset Nuggets centers Nikola Jokic, a 7-footer who is the reigning MVP, and 6-foot-10 backup DeMarcus Cousins, a four-time All-Star fighting through a series of serious injuries.
“Sometimes, they want me to shoot,” Bjelica said of launching from distance. “But when I can see DeMarcus or Nikola (on defense), I can just drive by them and create for me or for my teammates.”
Golden State Warriors
Beli is making smart passes (five assists) and generally avoiding the sloppy turnovers that had fans groaning during the regular season.
Bjelica, who has played for four teams in seven years and turns 34 next month, is performing so well it allows Kerr greater latitude to divide minutes among his crew of centers. Looney is 6-foot-9, Porter 6-foot-8, Green 6-foot-7 and Beli is 6-foot-9.
“He’s so skilled,” Kerr said of Bjelica. “Anytime you have a big man who can play-make and put the ball on the floor and knock down a 3, it’s a big advantage. You get to stretch the floor. You get to invert your offense and force the defense to have to cover more ground. Opposing bigs have to come out to the perimeter. Or you have to change your matchups. You see smaller guys on Beli, and that puts bigger guys on other players, which also can cause some confusion.”
In this particular series, Bjelica is of particular value because of his familiarity with Jokic. Both are from Serbia and have been teammates on the national team in international competition.
It’s a physical mismatch – Jokic is three inches taller and 40 pounds heavier – but If there is anything to exploit on either end, Beli should know.
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“We’re just trying to make him play tougher, to lose a lot of energy,” Bjelica said of Jokic. “He’s the best center in the league right now. He knows how to play. But Draymond is also one of the best defenders in the league, especially in the post. So, we have a really good matchups for him.”
The sample size is small, but the possibility that Bjelica would have a tough time getting minutes in the playoffs don’t apply in this series. And, for now, it’s the only series that matters.