Living up as one of the Golden State Warriors’ interesting pick ups in the offseason, big man Nemanja Bjelica is absolutely a walking bucket. With that soft touch from long range and coordinated footwork, he is literally making his teammates left in awe so far.
One of them is Draymond Green.
Seeing the Serbian cager performing very well in Dubs’ last preseason games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Green threw a compliment that must be noticed very well by the Warriors believers.
“I didn’t know Belly [Bjelica] could make plays like that off the dribble. I had no f-cking clue”, said by the three-time All-Star after the contest, applauding Bjelica.
“Then I’ve been spending a little bit of time with him, and he’s like ‘Yeah man when I was overseas and won EuroLeague MVP, that’s what I was. I made plays, I shot the ball, that’s what I do.’ I was like ‘I didn’t know you can make plays like that.’“
Suiting up against the Lakers, the stretch big registered 10 markers, five rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes of the winning effort. Belly, who agreed to a veteran’s minimum contract, is being considered as a vital piece on the Warriors’ goal of reemergence after establishing a historic dynasty from last decade.
Asked if Bjelica, a traditional big, would not be able to even blend on Warriors’ dynamic lineup, Green reiterated that the 33-year-old former EuroLeague MVP can mashup with its intangibles.
“We don’t really play traditional basketball, so when he’s getting in the paint he can either finish or you have somebody rotating, then you can make the right play. That’s good to see because he can still have those opportunities. With him making plays like that, it will be good.”
The Warriors will play its last preseason match against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 15.
