Festus

Ezeli

Ezeli brings strength, toughness and shot-blocking with his 6'11" frame and enormous 7'4" wingspan, but the four-year college player is still too raw to expect much production as a rookie. Expect him to play spot minutes off the bench behind Andrew Bogut and Andris Biedrins.

Bogut missed a grand total of 130 games the last four seasons. He suffered a fractured arm in 2010 and broke his ankle last season, so these injuries aren’t the types that are usually aggravated. Bogut is one of the poster children for risk-reward picks in fantasy drafts.

Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released. In Ezeli’s collegiate career at Vanderbilt, the 6’11’’ center averaged 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting .562 from the field in 121 games. He is a raw prospect who will be coming off the bench behind Andrew Bogut and Andris Biedrins.

CSN Bay Area notes that the rookie is “foul prone,” and that is confirmation of what we’ve seen from him at times in the preseason. Mark Jackson has used David Lee and Carl Landry on the frontline without Bogut in the lineup, a combination the team could use more often if Bogut is out for an extended period.

With Andrew Bogut (ankle) sidelined as a precaution, Landry outplayed starting center Festus Ezeli (eight points, 28 minute) and David Lee (eight points, 12 rebounds in 29 minutes). Landry won’t contribute across the board, but if he’s getting 30+ minutes he’s a nice option for high-percentage points and rebounds.

Bogut will not play Saturday against the Clippers and fantasy owners have to wonder how long it will be until the former Buck is fully healthy. Festus Ezeli should start and benefit from Bogut’s problems.

“I’m impressed with Festus and what he’s done since we drafted him. He’s been very good in the summer league, very good in workouts,” Jackson said. The Warriors need Andrew Bogut to stay healthy, but the competition behind him might be worth watching due to Bogut’s injury history. Ezeli is extremely raw and he will need a few things to go his way to have fantasy value.

“At the end of the day, it was a long year last year -- it was a tough year for a lot of players,” Jackson said. “But I’ve got everybody in here, other than Andris Biedrins.” Biedrins is set to open the season behind rookie Festus Ezeli on the depth chart, an indication of Biedrins’ standing with the team. The Warriors have tried to trade him and buy him out, but no team is interested in an $18 million commitment and Biedrins isn’t leaving that money on the table.

Ezeli has earned praise from Mark Jackson throughout training camp, and if Andrew Bogut (ankle) can’t suit up for the season opener, the rookie looks to be locked into the starting five. Although he’s been described as raw, he’s not as big of a project as some have made him out to be.

Bogut’s 20-minute-limit and inability to play in back-to-back sets is a major drag on his value early in the season. He’s not expected to have the restrictions lifted until at least December, so owners should be prepared for a few weeks of poor returns.